A New Life
by vrfighter3000
Summary: An AU where Meowth starts to rethink his goals and motives for being with Team Rocket. After realizing that Team Rocket has nothing left to offer him, he decides to do something else with his life. When he finds himself in a bad situation, he wishes to go where he can start over, and finds himself in a world where his potential is reset and Pokemon can talk like him. Please review
1. Prologue part 1: Reflections

**Hey, this is my first fan fiction. I've had this AU in mind for a long time, and now I'm going to put it down on the table. Just to note, this story does contain spoilers for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky/Time/Darkness. It will be told in Meowth's POV, primarily, but there will be cases where I switch.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its games in any way, shape, or form.**

Prologue part 1: Reflections

_Oh no, not again!_

The twerps figured out our machine again. I thought for sure that a shockproof and fireproof freeze blaster would do the trick, but they soaked it and the machine froze itself.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"  
_Oh, crud…  
_"Pika-Pika-Pika-PIKA-PIKACHU!"  
*BOOM* "Looks like we're blasting off again!"

As we fly over ocean, I start to worry about our landing, but James pulls out a remote. _Huh, must be the new device I heard them whispering about. _He pushes the button, and after a bit, the balloon floats up with a big net coming out the trap door. It lines up and catches all three of us before dropping us off in the basket.

The blue-haired, half-time genius held up the remote proudly, "See? I told you it would be a good idea, Jess." The woman in question responded with a scoff, "Alright, for once something you thought of actually worked." This, as always, started an argument between the two lovebirds, which I tuned out to do some thinking.

_Man, that's the third one in two weeks. Our funds are running low, and we've already been cutting down on meals. What are we doing wrong? How are those twerps always one step ahead of us? Why…__Whoa! Hold it boy-o, when did you start asking yourself "why"? But… thinking about it, my life ain't always been about the "why", more about the goal. Maybe it's time I put __more thought into this word. Maybe…_

"MEOWTH!"  
"Eh, what is it?" For some reason, Jessie was scowling down at me.  
"WE were just thinking about our next course of action."  
"Oh, sorry 'bout that. Guess I'm a little tapped out from the flight. Think I'll take a catnap and talk wit' you two later"  
"Oh FINE, we're going to look for a place to land."  
"Okay, you do that." I walk off to a corner of the basket and curl up to doze, but something that Jess says gets my attention after I closed my eyes.  
"Why are you even a member of this team"  
_?!  
_"if you're not going to contribute to planning."

I don't know why, but I continued to pretend being asleep so I could think about what I just heard.

_There's that word again. Why? I suppose that the reason why I joined Team Rocket is that I wanted to become rich and powerful to win Meowzee's heart, but that plan hasn't exactly panned out well. Even if I still COULD win her heart, this course ain't exactly turning a profit. So why am I still here?_

_…_

_Maybe I stay 'cuz of Jessie and James. After all, I've had several chances to leave, but I always turned them down for the sake of the "friendship" that we seem to share. It may also just be a part of my nature. Even when I was just a stray who wandered the streets of Tinsel Town, I went into a gang. Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. Does that mean that, no matter what, I'll always be pulling this shtick? Being a part of a gang that has nothing to do but steal? _

_This is starting to get a little too complicated. Think I'll actually sleep for a bit and go for a walk later. There should be a very nice full moon tonight._

**-Two hours later-**

"Meowth, it's time to wake up."  
_Blue hair? Oh, it's James._ "Hey Jimmy, what time is it?"  
"Firstly, for the last time, stop calling me 'Jimmy'." He said this with a slight scowl, but his face softened again, "Secondly, it's around sunset, and Jessie is trying to convert what's left of our rations into something edible."  
"So… you're here to get my last will and testament?" I quipped.

James shuddered a bit at what Jessie could POSSIBLY make out of an onion, two apples, some freshwater and a nearly expired can of sardines.

Despite this he looked over his shoulder and whispered, "You know as well as I that she would kill us if she heard this conversation. Just be ready, and then we're going to sleep. We have an early start tomorrow."

Dinner wasn't actually that bad. (Probably 'cuz Jessie didn't actually try to cook anything.) We each got a slice of onion, two apple slices, a sealable cup of water and four sardines. When it was time to hit the hay, I just curled up with my eyes closed and waited until I heard mumbling from Jessie and light snoring from James. Then I got up and went for a walk on the forest path. As I had thought, there was a full moon shining down on a partly cloudy night.

_Ah, I love the moon. It calms me down and helps me think._

_ Now I can think about what I wanted to earlier. What was it again? Ah, right, I was thinkin' about why I joined Team Rocket. Do the reasons I had back then really apply even now. I don't have a chance in Hell of winning Meowzee over anymore. I've made no progress of earning money for my own gain, but is THAT even a real reason now? I was happy being a simple chef at that noodle restaurant, until I found out that Jessie and James were in trouble goin' after that rare Metagross. That's right; I always went back for Jessie and James. We've been thick as thieves ever since our days at the academy. But why did I join in the first place again? Oh yeah, I left Hollywood in a rage after Meowzee rejected me. I was looking for a way to get rich, so I joined Team Rocket. But those goals can no longer be won. What was my goal once I joined Team Rocket; the boss's approval?_

_"__**I'm sick of your constant failures**__."_

_Yeah, that REALLY went well. So… why am I still here? Money? We've lost more of it than I can count chasing that one Pikachu. Ah, Pikachu, the reason we go through so much grief. But why do we keep going after him? Surely there are other Pokémon to go after?_

_"__**We're only interested in rare and valuable Pokémon.**__"_

_But it's not like that one group of twerps is hunting US down. If we just stepped carefully we could probably dodge them and get some successful operations done. Why do we always hunt THEM down? It's not like we ever come close to catching Pikachu. Man why are we so weak?_

_"__**Why are you even a member of this team if you're not going to contribute to planning?**__"_

_Hey, I help. Who thought to make the freeze blaster fireproof as well as shock proof? Oh, right, it was James… Well in battle I… Can I do anything besides be the mascot? All I know is scratch, fury swipes, and bite. I couldn't even learn faint attack, much less pay day… Earlier today I was thinking if it was my destiny to always be in a gang, stealing from others._

_…_

"Any time you feel like offering inspiration?" I said out loud to the full moon in the sky which had started to tip more to the horizon instead of being right over my head. "Great, just great, now I think I'm talking to a floating hunk of space rock.

As I said this, a shooting star flew right across the sky, streaking across the moon and fading to my right.

"Whoa! I'm sorry I doubted you Moon!"I closed my eyes and thought of what to wish for

_I wish... I wish I could do something else wit' my life._

Then the realization hit me like a pack a' Golems. _The only one that can make that wish come true… is me._

* * *

**So, first chapter! There's not much action in this one, but it's more about Meowth thinking about what he's doing and why, hence the title of the chapter. Next, Meowth having had such an epiphany will start to put it into motion next chapter! Please review to let me know how I'm doing; I'm open to constructive criticism.**


	2. Prologue part 2: Resolution

Prologue part 2: Resolution

After I just had that major breakthrough, I was standing totally still on that same spot for what seemed like hours.

_Only I can change what I do wit' my life. And, technically speaking, I'm not bound to Team Rocket since I don't live in a poké ball. But… what about Jessie and James? Ah, I'm sure they can apply for a replacement partner Pokémon. Still, if I do go through with this, I'll miss the two knuckleheads._

_Team Rocket has no more to give me, and I have nothing more that I can give to Jessie and James. So, I guess that's it. I've given eight of my nine lives to Team Rocket, now it's time for me to try making an honest guy of myself. I might even be able to buy my own place some day._

With my decision made, I made my way back to the camp and walked towards the balloon. But as I walked past James he stirred and woke up rubbing his eyes.

He yawned before drawling out, "Hey Meowth, what are you doing up and about?"  
"Oh, uh, I was just thirsty so I took a walk looking for a creek or something else."  
"Hm, did you find one? We could refill our water stores."  
"No, it's just forest for a coupla miles."  
"Oh, well here, I saved a bit from dinner," he said offering me his sealed cup.  
"Uh, thanks Jimmy. Ya know, I been meaning to say, I always appreciated the little things you do."  
"Why, thank you, Meowth."

Soon after he said this James yawned again, "Well, sleep well, Meowth." Then he fell back over, asleep. I looked at the cup in my hands and with a sad sigh, put it down next to James. Then I continued off to the balloon. I didn't want to steal from my own friends, (there wasn't much any way.) so I took everything that I had to my name: my money (what was left of it from my last Team Rocket salary), my polishing wax, a stone for sharpening my claws, and my cloth that I used to tie it all together on a stick. _Huh, after all this time, I still have this bit of fabric. It's seen so many travels… My stray days, traveling to Hollywood, leaving Hollywood, finding Team Rocket, and now, leaving Team Rocket._

I wrote a letter to Jessie and James, saying that I was leaving to start a new life. I didn't want to make it too mushy, but I also didn't want to seem ungrateful. I left it underneath the cup of water next to James. Seeing him and then turning to Jessie made me a little watery eyed.

_I better do this before I lose my nerve. 'S almost sunrise, I need to get far away. Jessie will be TICKED when she sees this letter. _And with that final thought, I left the camp, determined to not look back.

Once I was away from the camp, I broke into a run to get more distance. I ran as long as I could, to where the sky started to lighten from the approaching sunrise. After I finally stopped for breath, the sun was peeking over the trees and I figured Jessie and James would be waking up soon…

**-3****rd**** person POV-**

Back at camp, James started to stir from his sleep as the sunlight shined onto his closed eyes.

Mumbling the question of why the sun couldn't come out later, James sat up and smacked his lips a bit, his mouth feeling dry. "Well good thing I saved that bit of… Oh, right I gave it to Meow-". James had turned his head while saying this and noticed that Meowth was nowhere to be found. Then he noticed his cup of water and the paper that lay underneath it. "What's this doing here," he questioned aloud before drinking his water and unfolding the piece of paper. "Let's see, 'Dear Jessie and James,…'" Soon after the first lines James put down his cup and focused more on the paper. Soon, he got up frantically and yelled out, "JESSIE!"

**-Meowth's POV-**

_I can't believe I actually worked up the courage to follow through on my decision, and I have no regrets. Jessie and James will be able to get a stronger Pokémon to be their partner and I can finally start doing things my own way… Which one's my way again? Eh, I'm sure that I'll figure it out._

_Now, it's pretty late in the afternoon, I better start thinkin' 'bout my next move._

_Hmm… for starters, where do I go from here? I suppose that I can start making my way to a town, to find out where I am. Maybe scrounge up some fruits and berries on the way. Gee, I haven't had to forage in a long time, hope I still got it._

I quickly found out that the old instincts were still there. Use claws to cling to and climb up trees to get the fruit. Fruit wasn't exactly my preferred meal, but beggars can't be choosers. From the top of a high tree, while I was picking apples, I saw that there wasn't any town or village or anything for miles. _Guess I'll hafta keep traveling 'til I see something. _By sunset, I had gathered seven apples and I had sat down to eat when I heard a rustling in the leaves.

I got up and readied my claws, standing between the bushes and my food. After a bit, two baby Rattata came out. They looked scared, and hungry. _They don't look like they can forage yet; they must be lost from their mother. _I look at the apples I've gathered. _This IS a bit more than I can eat, and I can always find more later._

Reaching down, I grabbed four of the apples and walked halfway to the tykes, putting them down own the ground (didn't wanna scare 'em off, after all). Then I just walked back to my spot and started eating the three that were left. Soon after, I heard them roll the apples back to their spot and start eating them. _Hm, I can't blame them for not trusting me, they just met me. I'm sure their mother will find them soon. _

This awkward silence stretched for about half an hour before I heard,  
"Rattata! Rattata!"  
The little ones' ears perked up and they dashed off towards the voice.

_That's good. Wouldn't have wanted them following me around. I guess I should catch some z's for now._

**-James' POV-**

_Goodness, we've been searching for hours now. I'm tired. We should find a place to land and camp for the night. _

"Jessie, we're not going to find him tonight. It's getting too dark."  
"Shut up! We're going to find that little traitor and I'm going to set him straight."  
"Aren't you being a little harsh? He left us a letter detailing his reasons and he didn't take anything that didn't belong to him."  
"He left without even trying to say goodbye!"  
"Eh, actually… Last night I woke up and saw him awake."  
"WHAT?! And you didn't say anything because…"

"Well, he said that he was just thirsty, looking for freshwater, so I offered him what was left of mine. He took it and thanked me for the kindness I always showed him. But I found the water, along with that note, when I woke up."

"Why didn't he say anything about me? I'm full of kindness!"  
Stifling a snort, I mumbled, "You're certainly full of something…"  
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Steeling my nerves, I looked her in the eye and said, "Look, the point is that we both know that Meowth isn't a nocturnal type. He won't be going anywhere else tonight; especially since he left so early." Jessie scowled, but grudgingly accepted and started to lower the balloon. As we began our slow descent, I thought about the details of Meowth's letter.

_Meowth, I understand where you're coming from, truly I do. After all, I left my previous life due to personal reasons as well. But why do you have such a low opinion of yourself to assume we'd be better off with a different Pokémon…_


	3. Prologue part 3: Repentance

**I am SO sorry, that I haven't been updating. I've had a helluva week, involving an exam and two papers. But now I'm back, ladies and gentlemen!**

Prologue part 3: Repentance

_Zzzz… Hm? Oh, the sun's up. I should get moving, Jessie and James will still be looking for me._

I got up and did some stretches, rubbing the sleep outta my eyes, then I noticed a small pile of fruits and berries right next to me. I was surprised, to say the least. "Who left this here? It's not Christmas yet."Then I noticed a picture of three Rattata drawn in the dirt. _Huh, that must be their mother. Well, this should keep me stocked for a few days._

As I picked them up, I thought about how nice it felt to help those two. Even if they hadn't given me this, I have a feeling that I'd still feel the same.

_Why do I feel so good about this? I thought it would be more difficult, but maybe this "being nice" thing ain't as bad as I thought it would be. To think just a few days ago I was trying to capture pokémon, and now I'm helping them._

…

_Wait, I'm doing it again, aren't I? I keep forgetting and talking about pokémon like I'm not one of them. I guess it's a side effect from having spent so much time imitating humans. But I can never go back to being a regular pokémon it's just a part of me that I've forgotten. So I'll never be able to fit in on either side. I can't erase my past either, so I'll always be the pokémon that betrayed his own species._

Suddenly I had a hollow feeling in my gut, and it wasn't because I was hungry.

_Well I guess guilt is the first step to going straight, I'm sure I'll forgive myself sooner or later._

An image of the twerps popped into my mind.

_Oh, that's going to be a loooong time to convince THEM that I'm going straight._

**-James' POV-**

"Jessie, if we take the balloon again, then he'll see us and hide; then how will we find him?  
"But my designer shoes are getting dirty," Jessie whined, trying to dust off her feet.  
"He won't have gotten too far; you know how short his legs are. Do you sense him yet, Mime Jr?"**AN: I'm following Sinnoh region time, since that's the latest generation in PMD: Explorers.  
**"Mime, mime," she said, shaking her head.  
"Why have Mime Jr. out? Yanmega's already out searching."  
I crossed my arms and let out a huff, Mime Jr. mimicking me, "Is Yanmega psychic," I questioned, raising an eyebrow.  
"Shut up."

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Huh, I've gotten pretty far. It might be safe for me to stop dodging around like this. Wait, what's that sound? Is that what I think it is?_

I turned my ear and sure enough, it was.

_WATER! A stream!_

I ran as fast as I could towards the blessed sound, and found a wide freshwater river. I dipped my head down and drank as much as I could. I only wish that I had something to carry some in.

My thirst quenched, I sat down and took two apples to eat. After I ate them, I decided to take a quick break to sharpen my claws before moving on. The stone was nothing special, but it always got the job done. To be honest, it's seen better days. Recently, pieces have started falling off, making the rock a bit more jagged, but the top is still fine, so I keep it. If I threw it away, who knows when I would find another one.

Soon after I finished, I put it down and was thinking of just sitting to rest, when I smelt something.

_Hm? What's this smell? It seems familiar… OH NO! It's humans and… Pikachu!_

"My map says that there should be a clearing up ahead next to a river."

_No mistake, that's the tall twerp's voice! They would never believe that I've left Team Rocket! I gotta get gone fast! Wait, I remember something that that one said once._

I searched through my bag until I found a round, blue berry. He said once that these restore energy. _Just hope it's enough to get away._ I tossed it in my mouth and chomped it down. Soon, I felt a rush of pure energy, like I had never known a tired day in my life. Using it, I quickly shouldered my things and ran like I was using quick attack.

Soon I was back in the trees, but there wasn't any more forest to run into, just this line of trees sandwiched between two clearings. _I'll just hafta make the most of it. _So I ran between two trees somewhat covering another one in the center. I still had my energy, so I ran straight up the tree and hid in the branches, trying to cover myself. The clearing was still visible from between the two trees.

Still holding onto my rock and setting down my pack since my energy was fading, I decided to wait and watch for when they leave.

The blue-haired girl twerp came through first. "Wow, what a pretty stream!" _Gee, the kid's female companions only seem to get more air-headed._

The other two came through and Pikachu on the kid's shoulder.

_Things could get really hairy if they see me, but there's nowhere to run. I'll just hafta wait 'til nighttime, when they're all asleep._

**-Three hours later-**

_Argh, kids these days, always staying up late. It's already close to full sunset, maybe I could just sneak away under darkness, if I play my cards right._

Soon I heard a buzzing noise, and I turned my head to find a Yanmega hovering near to me.

_A Yanmega?…_

_No, not a Yanmega; HER Yanmega._

Then, Yanmega turned around and started to fly back.

_If Jessie and James are getting this close, there's no way I'll be able to slip away! James probably has Mime Jr. sensing for me. If they get a tracker on me, my goose is cooked!_

_I need ta think fast. How can I get far away, SO far away, that Jessie and James will give up looking for me._

Just then, a Pineco dropped down right next to me. The opportunity giving itself to me, I kicked it, and it started to glow…

**-James' POV-**

"Look! Yanmega's back!" I yelled, seeing the glowing compound eyes.

"Ah, Yannie, did you find Meowth?"

"Yan."

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light not too far away.

*Boom!*

"What was that?!" Jessie exclaimed, both of us having ducked to the ground.

Pulling out my Pokémon flash cards, I explained, "It must have been a Pineco, It says here that they're quite abundant in this area."

**-Meowth's POV-**

I was flying past the clouds. I had lost my pack, but I managed to hold onto the stone, though I don't know how.

_I… did it. But even if they do give up, I've made such a bad name for myself. There will always be people like those kids, who won't forgive me._

I looked to my left and saw that the moon was starting to rise. It wasn't full anymore, but I still found it relaxing.

"Hey, Moon. I've made some big decisions with your help. I decided to change my life. I can't erase what I did, but I'm willing to repay those mistakes. I ain't proud of what I did, but I'll be proud of what I WILL do." Soon after I said this, I blacked out and had the weirdest dream that I've ever had.

I was floating in a place surrounded by a bunch of colors that seemed to blend together beautifully, mixing and changing as the seconds ticked by.

_Have I kicked the bucket after just deciding to change my life?_

**_No, Meowth, it is not your end yet._**

_Who's there?_

**_You do not know who I am, but I have been watching you._**

_Oh, that's weird. What is this place?_

**_That is none of your concern. Are you truly regretful of what you did and willing to repay those deeds?_**

_Yeah, I am, even if it means that I'll never be truly accepted._

**_Such will not be your trial. I will give you a chance to start anew._**

_What does that mean?_

**_Your potential will be reset, your memories erased, and you will be placed in a world where you will be able to be accepted. If your intentions are true, then I will send you where you can truly begin a new life._**

_Wait! My memories will be gone? But I don't want to just forget my past! If I don't keep my memories, then I'll forget my promise and my friends. And the point of memories is to keep from making the same mistakes over._

**_Very well, you have shown that you truly intend to change if you are willing to carry the burden of your memories. However, your memories will be temporarily revoked until you let go of your inhibition that you cannot be accepted. You shall remember your name, the significance of that stone, and the fact that you can talk. Everything else will be held by me until later._**

_Fair enough, so I won't remember this conversation? Wait! The significance of this stone? I use it to sharpen my claws; I found it on the side of a road once. What's so important about it?_

**_More important than you know, don't throw it away. And stop using it to sharpen your claws! Otherwise you won't be able to use it later._**

_Use it?_

**_Fare well. _**

Everything faded and I woke up to see the ocean coming fast.

* * *

**Wow, long chapter! I suppose it's only fair enough, since I've been gone for a week. BTW I swear that I didn't, initially, plan on making all of the chapter names start with "R", but I can tell you that it will not last the entire fanfic. Maybe just for this "Prologue" phase. But who was that mysterious voice? Was it really just a dream? How will Meowth not simply drown from landing in the ocean? Find out next time on Dragon Ba- I mean, the next chapter.**


	4. Prologue part 4: Regression

**After debating back and forth with myself, I've decided to quit the way that I've been formatting conversations so far and just make the spacing regular instead of single. Hope y'all don't mind. Enjoy the chapter!**

Prologue part 4: Regression

**-? POV-**

_Ah, walking on the beach is always so relaxing. I love the feeling of warm sand under me feet. And the sunset is as pretty as… Hm? What's that? 'Tis a little early for shooting stars. Wait, that's a body!_

*Ka-Splash!*

_I've gotta help 'em!_

**-Meowth's POV-**

_… Where am I? I feel really wet… My name… that's right, it's Meowth. I feel sand. How did I get here? What happ-_

*PINCH!*

"YEOOOOW! My tail!"

"Ahoy, mate! Glad to see that you're still among the living." I heard the voice coming from somewhere, but I couldn't see anyone around.

"Down here, landlubber; don't make me pinch you again." I looked down and saw a… what is it called? Oh, a Krabby.

"You were treading water, mate. I jumped in and hauled ye to shore, but you were still out. I decided to give you the pinch test."

"Well thanks a lot. Where am I, anyway?"

"Ye be on the beach upon the outskirts of Treasure Town."

"Wait, how can you talk? I don't think pokémon can do that ordinarily."

"Well, you're a pokémon and you're flapping you're lips."

"I know, but I was a special case, I think. I can't remember much."

During this whole time, I held onto a rock that was in my hand. I don't know why, but it seems to be important. Ah, the top has worn off. It's totally flat now.

"Well, if you find yourself lost, count your paces. What do you remember?

"I remember that my name is Meowth, I remember having met a lot of pokémon, but being the only kind that can talk. Also, I remember that somehow this rock is very important."

"Why would that be important? Looks like any ordinary rock, if a bit worn."

"I don't know why, but I do know that I can't throw this away."

"Well, to each his own. If you're needing to stock up, treasure town's that way. Just follow the path and take a left at the crossroads." He said this pointing down the beach to where a path started.

"Thanks."

I walked down the path and turned left into the town and it was bustling, to say the least. I didn't really feel comfortable being surrounded by so many Pokémon, so I tried to just sneak through, not drawing attention to myself.

"Hey, you there." I froze, feeling a chill up my spine.

"Do you have any money you want to store at Duskull's Bank?" The Pokémon called from behind his counter in a really creepy looking building.

"Uh, I don't have any money."

"What?! That's disastrous! How can anybody not have money? Anybody brave enough to go into a mystery dungeon can literally find poké just lying around."

"What's a mystery dungeon? What's poké?"

"You amaze me, mysterious Meowth. I don't know where you come from, but poké is the currency in these parts. As for mystery dungeons, they are these wonderfully fabulous places where one can find money anywhere inside of them. You have to be careful though, if you faint then you lose half of your money (horrible!) as well as a good chunk of your items."

"If they're so dangerous, then why do people go in?"

"Because while they can be dangerous, they can also have ancient treasures or great secrets; also they change every time you go in, so there are always new items to be found."

"Sounds interesting, I might check one out."

"Then, I'll open an account for you and give you this." He pulled out a cloth sack with a gold "P" decorating it. Looked to be about half a foot deep.

"Gee, thanks."

"Reach in." I stuck my paw in expecting to touch cloth and found nothing. The little thing almost took in my whole arm before I pulled back out.

"What the?! Is this thing cursed?"

"It's charmed with a spell from yours truly. How else are you supposed to carry so much poké? If you need to make a purchase, just whisper the amount of money that you need and it'll pour out. Of course, it's empty right now." **AN: This is how I thought pokémon carried so much money with no evident pockets.**

"So I can just carry as much money as I want?"

"Yes, but if you plan on going into a mystery dungeon, then money in that bag is subject to thieves."

"Thanks for the tip." I continued walking down the main road, thinking about my next move.

_That was nice of him. Now where am I supposed to stay? This town seems to be mainly markets and businesses. Hmm, maybe there's something else further down the road._

I walked down passing two Kecleons advertising their food and wares and a large building where a Kangaskhan stood patiently waiting for anybody who needed help. When I continued down the road, I found that there were no buildings, just a sign that said "Sharpedo Bluff".

_Hm, well this is a nice view, but where am I supposed to stay? _I started to walk back to the main town, opting to go through a bush instead of around. _I guess I'll just have to leave town and find some-WAH! _When I stepped on the ground around the bush, I sank straight through and fell down some stairs into an open area.

_Ow… Who pulled the ground out? _I found the bush next to me and saw that it was hollow inside; just a bunch of branches and leaves tied together on the inside. I looked around and saw that the inside of the bluff was hollow. I could see out of the eyes and mouth of the Sharpedo face. It looked pretty livable, even if it was a bit dirty.

_Judging from that fake cover, somebody must've lived here once, but not anymore. Finders, keepers? I think so. Could use some fixing up though, but I need money for that. What did Duskull say? Mystery dungeons?_

After covering up the entrance again, I decided to ask around town for info. A pokémon named Vigoroth said that there's a mystery dungeon at the far end of the beach. I walked up to the mouth of the Beach Cave and stared into the dark.

_Well, it's now or never._

I walked in and the entrance disappeared behind me, the dungeon lighting up on the inside. I walked around for a bit and found an oran berry. _Better hold onto that. _Soon after, I found a room with money all over the floor. My bag was twitching and it sucked up whatever money I walked over.

_At this rate, I'll have enough money for bedding and dinner._

"Hey, that's our money!"

"Yeah, we just found it so it's ours!"

I turned to see two Shellos that just came in from another hall.

I decided to quip, "Sorry guys; gotta be quicker to get what you want."

"Then we'll finish you _quickly,_" they both shouted as they charged me. I just readied my claws.

**-Two hours and three fights later-**

_Dang, this is pretty tough after all. Good thing I held onto that berry._

After eating the berry, I noticed that I had gotten a bit stronger. Not by a lot, but enough to where I noticed. Continuing, I noticed a seed on the ground. It wasn't like any seed I had seen; it was orange with red cracks. Not knowing what else to do, I held onto it.

I had headed down two levels now, picking up all the money I could find and had gotten quite a bit. I would've turned back, but there is no back, only forward.

**-Another two hours later-**

_So, this is the bottom of the dungeon._

I had gone down some more stairs and found myself in a pit at the bottom of the cave.

_So what happens now?_

After I said this, I felt a gust of wind and suddenly, I was back on the beach.

* * *

**Sorry that this was a slow chapter, but we gotta have them sometimes. Also I skipped most of the content of the Beach Cave, because it would be unnecessary filler. This chapter was mainly about Meowth finding Treasure Town and trying to find a way to adjust while re-training himself. Please review to let know how I'm doing!**


	5. Prologue part 5: Recollection

**I'm back! Sorry, I just got House of Hades and I spent every free moment for the past two days reading it. Now, it's the final part of the prologue series. No more chapter names starting with "R" unless I think it's appropriate. Once you read the title of the chapter, you'll know that schist is about to get real. (Hope you get the reference)**

Prologue part 5: Recollection

_Zzzz… Hmm? Oh it's daytime. _I uncurled and sat up on my pile of hay, rubbing my eyes.

It had been a full month since I had first arrived in treasure town. It still felt odd to be a part of a community, but the others have accepted me. I always went into Beach cave to train and get stronger, and now it got to the point where I could hold my own against any of the bad pokémon in there. After finding that seed, I decided to buy a book on all the seeds and berries by Seedot (a bit ironic) and a book to translate the footprint letters that they apparently used here.

I had found out that the reason there are mystery dungeons and bad pokémon had something to do with the "flow of time" getting messed up. I didn't know exactly what this meant. When I asked Vigoroth, he shared the rumors he had heard about the Time Gears.

I met all of the pokémon around town and even a few from the famous Wigglytuff's Guild. Well, the latter more that I saw them than I met them.

After seeing them, I thought how nice it would be to be a member of the guild, maybe that I could help pokémon. I had been debating this for a week and a half now.

_It's too early to think about life decisions right now. I need some breakfast._

I pulled an apple out of a small barrel. As I ate the apple, I caught a glimpse of the stone that I always carried tied on a string. The top had gone completely flat about two weeks ago and a weird symbol appeared. I had a feeling that wherever this rock came from must have been some important relic.

After I finished eating, I fastened my moneybag and the Relic Fragment to a strip of cloth that I tied like a belt. It also had a pouch sewn in to carry one item.

I walked up to the surface, making sure to replace the fake bush, and walked into Treasure Town. As I walked through I said "Hi" to Vigoroth, Kangaskhan, the Kecleon Brothers, and Duskull (he became a really good friend when I started depositing money). It's nice how everyone warmed up to me, even though I came into town with nothing. I went out to the crossroads and turned right to go to the beach.

As I walked across the sands, I looked out across the ocean, I decided to sit down and do some thinking.

_Why do I feel so strongly about joining Wigglytuff's Guild? The money? I can earn enough by going to the Beach Cave. The glory? I don't really feel like I need to be recognized for doing exploring; I'm happy to live as a member of this town._

_…_

_I think that the reason is that I want to help pokémon. Though I don't remember why, I feel as though I have an obligation to save others. The strangest thing is that I feel like it's some sort of atonement instead of an out-of-nowhere desire. But I haven't done anything wrong, have I? I arrived at this very beach with nothing but a name and a rock. Maybe my missing memories have something to do with it. It can't be because I wasn't born yet; I ain't exactly a spring chicken. Wait. Where did that phrase come from?_

As I thought about this, I noticed that I had been sitting here for a while and that storm clouds were gathering in the distance.

_Hmm… If I go into the dungeon, it'll be night by the time I get out, and, with my luck, it'll be raining. Better head back early today._

As I walked back I bought an apple from the Kecleon Brothers for dinner later. The wind was really starting to pick up now as it got darker. When I left I heard the two brothers debating whether or not to close early today. Kangaskhan had already shut down and left a sign apologizing for any inconvenience.

When I went back down into my home, the rain had already started to drip down. I quickly took some extra string and tied the bush to some rocks right below it.

As I watched the storm get more violent from the "mouth" of my home, something occurred to me.

_This is the first storm that I've seen since I got here. I'm willing to bet that it's the first storm that's hit within a hundred years. Hope the noise doesn't keep me from sleeping._

After dinner, I moved my hay bed away from the mouth of the bluff to keep it from getting wet and curled up. Despite the noise of the storm, I was unusually tired and fell asleep almost instantly.

I opened my eyes and I was surrounded by a colors blending together and separating.

**_It is time._**

_Time for what? Who are you?_

**_We have met before. I sent you to this world._**

_You did? Why can't I remember anything?_

**_I have been holding your memories and watching you in this world. You are ready to receive them back._**

_What do you mean "ready"?_

**_Having lived this way, you will not like what you see. _**

_If it means knowing who I am, then I'm willing to take that risk._

**_Hm, you show the same resolve as last time. Before I return your memories, there is something that you must know._**

_What is it?_

**_Very soon the destiny of this world will hang in the balance, and you will help to save this world. Keep following the path that you had laid for yourself. I will now return your memories. Brace yourself._**

Before I could ask why, I felt a huge force hit me and it was like there was fire in my mind. A series of memories flashed before me. It shook me to my gut, and the dream started to fade as I remembered more. The things I had done.

I woke up bolt upright with tears pouring outta my eyes.

"I was a criminal, a crook."

_I had been so desperate to prove myself to Meowzee that I went to Team Rocket, tried to get rich. I did so much bad. How could I have stooped so low? And over a cat that didn't give a tail hair over how I felt._

_So this is why that voice took away my memories for a while. Since I've been given a chance to live a life among others who accept me, 's given me a whole new look at things._

_Others who accept me…_

_I guess that I had that with Jessie and James too. We were like family. Leavin' them was definitely the toughest part of my decision. But I wanted to change myself, let go of my past and change to a more honest life._

_Now that I've been given this second chance, I need to take it. And while I'm not proud of my past, it's time to accept it and keep my promise._

_"The point of memories is to keep from making the same mistakes over." I was the one who said that._

After this mental pep talk, I looked out and saw that the storm had calmed down a bit, but it was still night time. As I moved back to my bed, I saw the relic fragment and said out loud hoping HE would hear.

"I dunno whatcha meant by the 'destiny of this world', but tomorrow I'm gonna join Wigglytuff's Guild and become an explorer to find out."

* * *

**Oh yeah! Prologue finally done! Now the chapters will be following the events of the game. If you haven't played PMD Explorers, then I have offered ample warning of spoilers since you've had a 5 part prologue to stop reading. BTW, I get to write Meowth's dialogue wit' his "Joisey" accent again! Also you should know that the chapters being written will depend on the speed that I complete Mystery Dungeon.**


	6. Chapter 1: And Then There Were Two

Chapter 1: And Then There Were Two

**-? POV-**

_What is with this weird turbulence?! We were told that this would be dangerous, but I didn't expect this!_

Lightning seemed to flash all around us. The two of us were barely able to hold onto each other as we went through.

"Whoa! Wh-wh-whoa…! Are… Are you okay?!"

_It's too much. I can feel my grip slipping._

"No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!"

"N-n-no! I can't… hold on…!"

Next thing I knew a giant lightning strike seemed to strike us. As it hit, I blacked out. The last thing I heard was my partner's scream as we were split apart.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_This is getting ridiculous… I been pacing in this spot for hours! Why can't I just walk up and do it? But the place looks so intimidating…_

I had been walking back and forth outside of Wigglytuff's Guild trying to work up the nerve to apply to be an explorer. I stopped and looked at the iron gate in front of me and the grate on the floor.

"Alright, enough prep. Time to stop beating around the bush and move forward!"

I stepped on the grate and immediately heard shouting from right below me, yelling about my footprint. I thought it was some kind of alarm, so I stepped back out of shock.

"That was spooky! What was that?"

I looked at the building again and sighed.

"I thought I'd be able to do it, but I just wussed out."

I took the relic fragment off my belt and held it in my hand.

"I thought holding onto this would give me some backbone, but it only adds pressure."

I hooked it back onto my belt and walked away thinking, _"Fate of this world," huh? Great way to make a guy feel special, mysterious voice._

I walked to the beach, one of my favorite spots for doing some thinking, and saw that it was that time where the Krabby blow bubbles to say bye to the sun. Ordinarily, I wouldn't care, but it was one of my favorite things when I didn't have my memories…

"Wait. What's that over there?" I said as my eye wandered towards the end of the beach

I walked along the beach to something in the sand. As I got closer…

"Whoa! That's a body!" _Did HE send another one?_

I ran as fast as I could to the body, which turned out to be a Riolu, passed out on the beach. I shook his shoulders a bit and tried waking him up.

"Hey, are you okay?! What happened?" I questioned. I was starting to think about trying Krabby's pinch test when he started groaning.

He sat up and rubbed his head before standing up.

"Whoa, take it easy, you were out like a light." But he looked fine, except for being a little confused.

"Anyway, Meowth's da name. Nice ta meetcha! So who are you? I don't think I've seen you around here before." _If he got here like I did, he might be a bit confused on the "who"._

He thought for a bit before saying, "I think you haven't seen me before because I'm a human."

"What? Not to, ya know, be rude, but you look like any ordinary Riolu to me." _Okay, this must be a different case. Either that, or that voice is playing some kind of sick game._

For the first time since he woke up, the Riolu took a look at himself; his hands, his tail, even looking at his face in a puddle of seawater. After this he screamed and said "It's true!" Then he seemed to be thinking hard before I talked again.

"Are you saying you have amnesia? You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

He shook his head rapidly saying, "No! No, I'm just a little confused."

"Well what's your name?" _I at least had that when I arrived._

"That I remember. It's Rio," he said with confidence.

"Alright, I believe you. Sorry 'bout that. There are bad pokémon out there; guy's gotta be careful."

After I said this, I was tackled from behind and knocked down. From the ground, I heard, "Well, I do beg your pardon," the voice pouring out sarcasm.

My temper instantly flared up, "Hey, bub, what's the big idea?!" I yelled this, but I froze when I saw the Koffing. _Just like…_

"Heh-heh-heh! Can't figure it out? We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you? That's yours, isn't it?"

When the Zubat said this, I snapped back to reality, "Hey! That's…!"

"Sorry, kiddo. We'll take that!" And just like that, the Zubat took my Relic Fragment off the ground. I was stunned that I lost it so easily.

The Koffing spoke up, "Whoa-ho-ho! Not gonna make a move to get that back? What's the matter? Too scared?"

_Grr… If it were any other pokémon, I'd show you! But that was James' very first pokémon…_

"I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" He turned to the Zubat, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Before they left, the Zubat said, "See you around, chicken." Then they left into the Beach Cave.

_That tears it! I can't lose that stone! No matter what that pokémon reminds me of, I need ta get that back!_

I turned to Rio and said, "Rio, I need to get that stone back. It's very important to me. There's no time to waste! But I can't face them alone. Will you help me?" He only hesitated for a moment before nodding. I was relieved, since I wouldn't have to fight one-on-two. "Thanks! Let's go quickly!" I rushed into the Beach Cave and Rio followed right behind me.

I quickly found out that, even though he thought he was a human just a minute ago, he fought really well, knowing how to use all his moves. He knew Quick Attack and Bite, pretty good standard attacks. Also, he knew Endure in case of emergencies. At some point along the way, I learned Bite too.

_Those thugs better prepare for trouble! Wow, I never thought I'd use that phrase in this sense._

We found a blast seed along the way. _That'll help in a pinch. _Soon, we reached the bottom of the cave and saw those two goons in the clearing at the end.

_Be strong, Meowth, that's not your friend's Koffing. He's just a goon pokémon._

I took a deep breath and yelled, "Hey!"

They turned around and Koffing said, "Well, well, if it isn't our old friend, the big chicken."

Hearing that again made me flinch, but I continued, "Give me back the thing you took! It's very important and I need it back, pronto!"

The Zubat said, "That important, you say? So that thing is really valuable, huh?"

Koffing continued, "It could be worth more than we'd hoped for, I'd say. We ought to try selling it. Who knows? It might get a good price. Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason to not give it back!" Then they both laughed at us.

I was shocked as they both laughed at our expense. _Were WE this obnoxious with the twerps?_

After they quieted down Zubat said, "If you want it back that badly… Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"

Right before the fight started, I whispered to Rio, "They're not gonna fight fair, Rio. Zubat's a flying type so I'll take 'im. You fight Koffing and watch out for that poison sludge." Rio nodded and then all four of us rushed forward.

Rio started off by tackling Koffing out of the center of the fight with Quick Attack, but I couldn't focus on that right now. Zubat was flitting around and trying to confuse me with his weird flight. I just readied my claws and dashed forward. He pretended to go to the left, but I saw through it and Scratched with my right claw, landing a hit as he went back to the right.

"Gah! Alright try this on for size, non-flyer!" He flew up to where it was still dark on the ceiling.

_Crud! I can't see 'im. He could be approaching from anywhere. I gotta get into his head. What would I do if I couldn't be seen and had speed?_

When I figured it out, I quickly ate the blast seed and turned around. I breathed fire on Zubat while he was trying to sneak attack me.

He fell to the ground covered in soot. "How did you know where I was?"

I looked down at him and said, "How could I not, amateur?"

"Hold still, will you!"

I looked up and saw Koffing all banged up, trying to hit Rio with a Sludge attack. But Rio was just too fast, always dashing around them, and landing Quick Attacks on Koffing.

Koffing was having trouble floating now, and Rio looked about ready to finish him, but he paused and said, "Give up. There's no way you can win."

Koffing smiled and said, "Whoa-ho-ho! You're right, there's no way I can win… So it's time to RUN! SMOKESCREEN!"

Koffing sprayed out a cloud of smoke and Rio was looking around, "Meowth! He's going to get away!"

I started running into the smoke, saying, "No, he's not!"

_Seriously, he calls THIS a Smokescreen? I can still see him as plain as the not-nose on my face. I guess years of practice pay off._

I made a dash to intercept him and finished him with a Scratch attack. After he was down the smoke cleared and he was laying next to his partner.

"Owowow…"

"Ugh… We got roughed up…"

They struggled and got up. Koffing muttered, "B-blast it… How'd we get wiped out by wimps like them?"

Zubat just scoffed, "Bah! Here you go. Take it, then!" He threw the Relic Fragment to the ground in front of us and Koffing said, "Whoa-ho! Don't think you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"

"Yeah, you just remember that," Zubat shouted as they ran off.

I picked up the relic fragment and re-tied it to my belt. "Alright, we got it back! Thank you so much Rio! I wouldn't have been able to take both of them on."

We left the dungeon and were back on the beach.

* * *

**So, this is how the battles will be told. Like in the anime, there will be special cases with attacks, since opponents can read patterns. Some may include dialogue, but not all. Also, they will be told from Meowth or Rio's POV. I will say if I switch.**


	7. Chapter 2: The Birth of Team Righteous

**I'm very sorry to say this, but writing in Meowth's "Jersey" accent is tougher than I thought, so I'm still going to write words like "gonna" and "kinda", or other similar ones, and the rest I'm just going to have to ask you to imagine it in Meowth's voice.**

Chapter 2: The Birth of Team Righteous

I decided to explain about my Relic Fragment to Rio. _I may be a bit quick to trust this guy, but he seems okay, it's not every day a pokémon falls from the sky. He may have been sent for the same purpose._

"This is what they tried to steal. I call it the Relic Fragment. I found it one day by complete chance." _I used ta use it to sharpen my claws._ "The reason I call it this is because I have a feeling that it belongs to something, somewhere. I know it in my gut, that it's very important." _I was told by an invisible voice. _"It looks like any other rock, but look closer. See that weird pattern on the top? I just know that it must be a part of something old and mysterious… I wanted ta start an exploration team as a beginner to search for that thing… But I lost my nerve at the last second."

"Say, Rio, what are you going to do now? You have amnesia and somehow you changed into a pokémon. Do you have anywhere to go?" Rio didn't offer any kinda response. "If ya don't, then can I ask you something? How about you join me to start an exploration team?" _This may be the one that HE said I'll "help", and if he's not, then I'll still need ta keep an eye on him… _"You and I worked good together catching Koffing and Zubat, so how about it? Please?" I sounded a little whiny to myself, but I really needed to convince him.

Rio seemed to be thinking about it for a while, but he eventually nodded.

"You'll do it?! Awesome! Thank you! We're going to be a great team, just wait and see!" I was really happy that I wouldn't have to be alone forming an exploration team. _Team, huh… Looks like old habits die hard. But at least I'll be doing what's right this time._

Shaking off this thought, I said, "First things first, we hafta go to Wigglytuff's Guild to sign on as beginners. Then we train to be a primo exploration team. It'll be tough, but let's give it our best, Rio!" We both let out a cheer before heading to the guild.

After a few minutes we were in front of the guild. I looked up at the building. _Still as intimidating as I remember it…_

I explained to Rio, "This joint is Wigglytuff's Guild. New teams need to register here to make them official." I looked at the building and shuddered a bit. _Place still freaks me out. I just gotta be ready._

I stepped onto the grate and heard the same shouting from earlier.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected," a high voice shouted.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint," a low voice also shouted.

"The footprint is Meowth's! The footprint is Meowth's!"

The shouting still startled me, but I was determined to stay put this time.

Soon I heard the low voice say, "You may ENTER! Someone's with you! So get that stranger to stand up THERE!" I stepped off the grate and turned to Rio.

"I think that's your cue, Rio. They said to stand up here."

Rio looked at the grate and was pausing before we heard the low voice shout again, "Hey, you! Stranger! Get on the GRATE!" Rio stepped on and we heard the same process again, but the high voice seemed confused.

"The footprint is… The footprint is… Um…"

"What's the matter?! Sentry! Sentry?! What's wrong, sentry Diglett?" _So it's a Diglett down there, huh? Makes sense, I guess._

"Umm… Er… Umm… The footprint is… Maybe Riolu's! Maybe Riolu's!"

"What?! MAYBE?!"

"B-but… It's not a footprint that you normally see around here…" _How interesting… that means that Rio probably isn't from this world if the Underground hasn't heard of any Riolu. Heh, "Underground", gotta remember that one later. _**AN: Pun intended.**

"UGH! That's pretty crummy! Checking the footprints of visiting Pokémon… That's your job, ISN'T it, Diglett?"

"Yes, but… I don't know what I don't know."

We were still waiting for this little argument to be settled, Rio was starting to get a little twitchy from balancing on the bars of the grate. Then the low voice spoke up.

"Sorry to make you WAIT. Well, It's TRUE that you don't see any Riolu in these parts… But you don't SEEM to be bad. OK, good enough! ENTER!" With a huge clattering noise the iron gate was open. It was finally happening, no turning back!

"Well, it's time, Rio. I'm a little nervous, but let's go." Rio nodded and led the way inside. There was actually a ladder leading underground, which explained how so many Pokémon could live under one roof. We went under and found a huge room where a buncha groups of Pokémon talking to each other and looking at boards with papers attached.

I was stunned, "Are ALL of these Pokémon exploration teams?" Then we heard a voice.

"Excuse me!" We turned and saw a Chatot come to us.

"It was you two that just came in, right?" I responded with a quick "Yes" cursing the stutter that came with it. _Is this the boss, or whoever runs this shin-dig?_

"I'm Chatot! I'm the Pokémon in the know around these parts! I am Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokémon! Now, shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salespeople or silly surveys. Off you go, if you please!"

We both jumped and I said, "Uh, no, that's not it, at all! We want to form an exploration team… So we're here now. We want to train to be an exploration team."

Chatot was shocked, "Wh-What?! Exploration team?" Then he turned around and muttered not too softly, "It's rare to see someone like this want to apprentice at the guild. Especially given how hard our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokémon that run away from our rigorous training proves how true that is!"

I was a cringing a little brought back to the training days for Team Rocket, "Hey. Is the training really that tough?"

Chatot seemed shocked that we heard him, "What?! Well… no! No, no, no! It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for exploration teams is as easy as can be!" Then he seemed really cheery, "Well, well, well! I wish you had told me up front that you wanted to be an exploration team! Hee-Heeee! " _Great, his mood swings on a dime. _"OK! Let's get your team signed up right away. Follow me! " He went down another ladder to a deeper level of the guild.

We followed, and after giving a short description of the second basement floor, he said, "Team registration is this way. Come along, please." I saw a window and could see the sky outside. "How can we see outside if we're underground?" Chatot seemed a little annoyed, as if he had heard this question a million times, "The guild is built into the side of a cliff. It's only natural that you would be able to see outside."

"Now, here we are at Guildmaster Wigglytuff's chamber." We were standing in front of a wooden door with a curl pattern drawn on the middle. "On no account… I repeat, on no account should you be discourteous to our Guildmaster."

_Yeesh, is he that scary? If he's half as strict as Chatot, then that may be a problem._

Chatot turned to the door and said "Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!"

We went in and saw Wigglytuff with his back turned to us. Chatot said, "Guildmaster! I present to you two Pokémon who wish to join our guild as apprentices." Nothing. "Guildmaster… um… Guildmaster?"

Wigglytuff instantly turned around and said "Hiya! I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the guild's Guildmaster! You want to form an exploration team? Then let's go for it! First we must register your exploration team's name! So tell me your team's name?"

This caught me a bit off guard, "Huh? The team's name? Didn't really think about it." _What did those villagers call us when we first arrived?* Oh yeah… _"How about Team Righteous? That okay with you Rio?" Rio nodded and said, "Sure, seems fitting. Team Righteous; seems like a good name."

The Guildmaster chimed in, "All settled, then! I'll register your team as 'Righteous'! Registering! Registering! All registered… YOOM…TAH!" When he shouted there was a huge flash of light.

"Congratulations! From now on, you're an official exploration team! I present you with this in commemoration."

He set down a yellow box in front of us. I read the label, "Pokémon Exploration Team starter kit?"

"Yup. It's what every exploration team needs. Quick, open it up."

We opened it and saw two badges, a rolled up map, and a satchel. I was excited, "Wow there's lots of good stuff in here!"

Wigglytuff explained that the badge is used as ID and to rescue Pokémon, the "Wonder Map" did exactly what I think it would, except it draws more of itself as places are explored, and last, he explained that the Treasure Bag starts out small, but get's larger as we are more accomplished as an exploration team. "Take a look in the Treasure Bag," Wigglytuff finished.

When I looked into the bag, I found a dark green bowtie **(AN: the first "aura" I ever got.)** and a gray scarf with four squares drawn on it. "Those two items are special. I'm sure they will help you on your adventures! "

"Thank you! We'll do our best," I shouted. _We're an exploration team now…_

"Yup. But you're only apprenticing right now. So do your best… to train!"

"We will!" I turned to Rio, "Let's do this, Rio!"

We let out a cheer holding up our new explorer badges.

After leaving Wigglytuff's chamber, Chatot led us down the hallway to the left, all the way to the end. There were two hay beds and a window. "This is your room! "

I looked at the two beds, "Awesome! One for each of us."

Chatot continued, "You will live here while you work for us. Things will start getting busy for you tomorrow! So rise early and start living up to our code! Don't stay up late. Get to sleep early tonight! That is all." With this said, Chatot left.

**-Later that night-**

We were lying in bed, and I was trying to go to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about what happened today.

"Hey, are you still awake, Rio? I still can't believe that I worked up the nerve to come here, but I'm glad that I did. I thought that Wigglytuff would be scarier, but he's pretty nice. Even though there will be new challenges to face tomorrow, I'm ready for 'em." I let out a yawn, "Well, I'm getting sleepy. Let's do our best tomorrow. Night, Rio." And then I was out like a light.

**-Rio's POV-**

_Hmm… Now I'm suddenly apprenticing at the guild… I gotta admit, it's pretty exciting to be in an exploration team. And it's fun to be friends with Meowth… But first things first… Who am I? How did I turn into a Pokémon? How did I end up unconscious on that beach? I'm feeling sleepy too… Well, thinking about it won't help right now. I'd better focus on the guild's work for now… If I do that, well, everything should become clear eventually… I'll surely get to the bottom of this in time._

***From Pokémon Chronicles episode 7 "We're No Angels!".**

* * *

**Finally done! So much CUTSCENE! I had to make this chapter longer because there was so much dialogue. Anywho, next chapter will be up ASAP! Thank you to all of my faithful readers! Please review to let me know how I'm doing.**


	8. Chapter 3: Baby Steps

**I had some free time on this school night so I decided to take a little extra time to make another chapter. Appreciate it; free time is rare at this time of year in college.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Baby Steps…

**-The next morning (Meowth's POV)-**

_Zzzzz… No, please… I know what I did, but I'm not that Pokémon anymore…_

"HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE!"

_Ah! That's not my dream…_

"Why are you still ASLEEP?! WAKE UP!"

I opened my eyes to find a fairly large purple Pokémon yelling at us. Rio responded first with a groan and I followed with an "Oh, my head…" This just made him shout more.

"C'mon! Snap OUT of it! I'm Loudred! And I'm a fellow apprentice! If you're late for our morning briefing, you'll be SORRY! So MOVE it! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has got a BIG temper. If you make him lose it… YOWEEE! That would be one very scary scene!" Loudred seemed to shudder as he recalled some kind of memory.

"I've got goose bumps just thinking about it! YEESH! So ANYWAY… I'm not about to get in trouble because you rookies got up LATE! SO GET IT IN GEAR!" With that last shout, he left, leaving us to cradle our new headaches.

"Oy vey, my ears feel like broken glass… Wait. He said sumpin' 'bout getting ready?" We both perked up and Rio said, "Oh yeah, we signed up as apprentices to Wigglytuff's Guild. But that means…" We both shouted, "WE OVERSLEPT!" Then we rushed down the hall to the main room.

Loudred was the first to react, "You're LATE rookies!" But Chatot hushed him, saying his voice was too loud. He followed up saying, "Everyone seems to be present. Very well. Let us conduct our morning address. Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance!" Wigglytuff walked out of his room with his usual smile. "Thank you, Guildmaster! Please address the crew." When he said this, we gave Wigglytuff our attention, but he seemed to be snoring. There were murmurs from the other apprentices.

"Psst…! Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!"

"Yeah, you got that right!"

"Yup, looks like he's wide awake."

"Eek! His eyes are wide open! But he's fast asleep!"

But Chatot continued to act natural, saying "Thank you, sir! We all value your… words of wisdom!" He then turned back to us and said, "OK, Pokémon! Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart! Finally let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!" _Morning cheers?_

Then everyone spoke up, "A ONE, A TWO… A ONE-TWO-THREE! ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" Chatot replied, "OK Pokémon! Get to work!" Everybody raised their badges and cheered, "HOORAY!"

They all left to what I could guess were their posts, but… "Hey Rio, he said 'get to work', but what are we supposed ta do?" Rio shrugged his shoulders, "Beats me…" Chatot noticed that we hadn't moved and said, "Hey! You shouldn't just stand or wander around. You two follow me." He went up the ladder and we followed him 'til we reached one of the boards with the papers posted.

He turned towards us and said, "You're just beginners. We'll have you start off with this assignment. This is the Job Bulletin Board. Pokémon from various regions post job requests here. You're aware that bad Pokémon are cropping up in greater numbers, right?"

I had heard this before, "Yeah, since the flow of time is getting messed up, there are problems all over. That's why so many bad Pokémon are popping up." I understood the reason, but Rio seemed confused. _Not surprising since he arrived yesterday. I'll be sure to explain later._

"Precisely. Time getting out of whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokémon. Perhaps because of all that… We have noticed an increase in the number of jobs. In addition… and it's unknown if this is because of time's influence… There has also been a mass outbreak of mystery dungeons."

This time Rio just voiced his question, "Mystery dungeons?"

I explained everything that I knew about mystery dungeons, explaining that the Beach Cave is one of them. I also told him the two warnings that Duskull had told me.

"Well! You're quite informed aren't you! That makes things much easier for me to explain! Jobs all take place in mystery dungeons. So… let's look for a job that you should perform!" He looked at the jobs briefly before taking one down. "Ah, yes. Maybe this one will do?" He handed it to me and I read it.

_"Hello! My name is Spoink!"_

_"An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself… to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be on a rocky bluff. But this bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl? I beg your help, exploration team members!"_

_"From Spoink"_

After reading it, I said, "Hang on… This is just a fetch quest?" _When they said "beginner" they meant BEGINNER beginner. _"I mean, I know that we're the newbies, but do we really hafta…"

"Hush!" I was cut off before I could finish, "It's important that you rookies pay your dues! Now pay attention! I'll repeat the warnings to make sure they stick! You'll be forced out of a dungeon and sent back here if either of you faints! You'll lose half your money! And you could lose half your items or more. You'd best be careful! If you've understood all that, I suggest you get on with the job!"

Using the Wonder Map, we found our way to Drenched Bluff. Along the way we put on the items in the Treasure Bag. It was decided that Rio would get the Viridian Bow (I just didn't have the face to pull off a bowtie), while I got the Defense Scarf. Also, I volunteered to carry the Treasure Bag, since Rio was the faster of the two of us anyway. When we arrived, I held up the job note and said, "Spoink's description says the pearl is down on the seventh level. We'd better step carefully, Rio. Let's do our best!"

We quickly found out how useful the Treasure Bag was. We found two blast seeds and an oran berry, so we put them in the bag to use later. Rio was always the first one to act in a fight, using Quick attack to get the drop on enemies before one of us finished them off. The enemies were a little tougher than in Beach Cave, but we were getting stronger really fast fighting them off.

One thing that I found interesting is that we found two new types of seeds. One was green and had yellow zigzags, a stun seed. The other was gray with blue wavy lines, a sleep seed. We also found a big apple. Thank goodness, since we got hungry about halfway through. Soon, we had a full Treasure Bag and we had reached the bottom of the dungeon where Spoink's pearl was. We picked it up and the dungeon warped us out.

When we got back to the guild, Spoink was waiting for us and he accepted his pearl back and put it back on his head.

"Th-Thank you! That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! I just couldn't settle down without it up there! So I was just boinging and sproinging everywhere! But thanks to you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!"

He gave us a protein, a calcium and an iron and… "Holy moley! 2,000 Poké?!" I just couldn't help shouting that. "All this money's for us?"

Spoink nodded, "Of course! Of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!" Then he sprung up the ladder to leave.

Chatot walked up to us, "Well done, team! Now hand that money over, if you please."

We were shocked, "Huh?!"

Chatot sorted through the money saying, "Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see. And your team's share of the money comes out to this much." He handed us a small pile of coins.

"Wha-?! Only 200 Poké? That's terrible!" _Only a 10% share of rewards… Shoulda guessed…_

"Well that's the guild's rule. You simply have to accept it."

After Chatot left, Rio put a hand on my shoulder, "Look on the bright side, Meowth. We get to keep the item rewards. They could be useful."

"Yeah… I guess." _10 percent…_

A couple of hours later, my spirits were lifted when Chimeco called everyone for dinner.

After dinner everyone went to bed. Rio and I were lying on our beds and I couldn't sleep.

"Hey, Rio… Today was pretty major, wasn't it? Our first job; nothing I would write home about, but I'm glad we pulled it off. I was pretty ticked how Wigglytuff's Guild took most of the money… That's the cost of training, I guess. Nothing we can really do about it. Hearing Spoink's thanks is what really made my day, though. Well… I guess it's time to hit the hay. Let's do a good job again tomorrow. Night, Rio."

* * *

**I am posting this at midnight. Just an extra treat for you, my loyal readers. Thank you for being patient with me for this story!**


	9. Chapter 4: The Calm

Chapter 4: The Calm…

_No, NO! Please, try to understand… I've gone straight! Please, listen to me! Rio…!_

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" The yell shattered the dream and I woke up in my crew room.

Rio and I got up and walked to the morning briefing. We did the morning cheers today, but I was rubbing my eyes. The past coupla nights, ever since I joined Wigglytuff's Guild, I've been havin' nightmares. They usually involved the others finding out who I am and chasing after me, or Jessie and James trying to capture them, the two sides fighting, but last night was the worst one yet. I had managed to flee the others, but after hiding out, Rio finds me and tells me that he was assigned to capture me, dead or alive.

After everybody left, Chatot said, "Oh, you two! Still standing around, it seems… Well, come with me." He led us back up to the Mission Floor (I'm calling it that now), then led us to the board where missions were posted. But…

"Wait, didn't we do a mission from the other board yesterday?"

"Correct. Today, we'll have you do a job listed on this side."

I leaned forward to take a closer look at the new board, "How is this one different? There are pictures of Pokémon on these. Are they 'gone missing' posters? Who are these guys, Chatot?"

"The Pokémon posted here… are outlaws. They're all shady characters. And they're wanted for committing crimes."

"Oh… So that's how it is."

"Correct. So there are bounties on their heads. In other words there is a cash reward if you capture one. There are so many aggressive Pokémon around these days that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

"Wait a sec! WE have to capture outlaws? But how're we supposed to do that?! You make it sound impossible!"

"Just joking! The bad Pokémon out there come in all shades of badness. Some of those are completely wicked through and through, but there are also bad Pokémon who are merely petty thieves. So you've got from evil to naughty, and everything in between!" _I wonder if "former crook" ranks on these. _"So I'm sure we can avoid giving you a job catching a superbad Pokémon… So look over these posters and pick a Pokémon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice."

This conversation was making me a bit uncomfortable. "Well… Some may be weak, but I'm not completely comfortable doing this." _I dunno if I can do this, might see too much of myself in some of these. I won't go back on my promise to go straight, but it will dig up some unwanted memories._

"It's all a part of your training. You'll work through it, I'm sure. But I suppose you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent… So I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities." Chatot turned around and called out, "Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

With a "yup yup" Bidoof climbed up the ladder and walked up to us, breathing heavily, "You called?"

"Ah, Bidoof. These are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town."

"Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup! "

Chatot turned back to us and said, "This is Bidoof. He's one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay attention to what Bidoof has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!" Then Chatot left and Bidoof looked about to cry, "Aw, shucks, I'm overjoyed!"

This got my attention, so I asked him why. He explained that before we came along, he was the newest member of the guild. But then he pulled himself together and said, "Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me, please."

He led us around the guild, showing us everything that there was to see. Then he led us toward Treasure Town. At the crossroads he briefly mentioned the watering hole. As we went into town, I took over explaining to Rio what each booth was. After I was done, Bidoof said, "You sure know a lot, yes sirree! And that's good to know! All right, then. Come find me when you're all ready to go. I'll give you a helping hand with selecting the right outlaw for you."

"Thanks Bidoof, you've been real nice about helping us."

Bidoof blushed a bit, "Aw golly, you're embarrassing me…" But he shook it off and said, "I'll be waiting for you at the guild's upper underground floor for you." Then he left back to the guild.

I turned to Rio and suggested that we go to Kecleon Market to buy some items. I stopped at Duskull Bank first to withdraw some money (I had about 1,500 saved from my month of exploring the Beach Cave). After storing some extra items to make room for different ones, we arrived at the Market.

The two brothers greeted us, "Welcome to Kecleon Market! What can we do for you today?" I decided to buy a reviver seed. _If we're going to be fighting a tough opponent, better safe than sorry… _I also saw a white seed with a black "x" on it. The name escaped me, but I remember what it did, so I bought it too. "That will be 1,050 Poké, please." I whispered the amount to my bag and paid the green Kecleon. After we were done I heard a kid shout, "Misters Kecleon!"

I turned and saw a Marill and Azurill go to the counter. "Ah, little Marill and Azurill! Welcome, my young friends!"

Azurill spoke up and said, "Hello. May I buy an apple?"

"Oh, most certainly!" He handed them a small bag and accepted the money.

Marill smiled and said, "Thank you, Misters Kecleon!"

"No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!" Then they left and I asked, "Those two…?"

"You see, those delightful children are brothers," Kecleon explained. "Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick. So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her. It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

Marill ran back to the counter, "Misters Kecleon!"

"Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

Azurill spoke up, "There was an extra apple!" Sure enough, he was balancing an extra apple on his head.

Marill continued, "We didn't pay for this many."

"Oh, yes… that, young friends is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it among yourselves and do enjoy." _This scene is getting kinda mushy…_

Marill smiled, "Really?!" Azurill cheered, "Yay! Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

"Oh, not to worry my friends. Do take care on your way home."

**-Rio's POV-**

_What nice kids._

While they were leaving, Azurill tripped, sending the apple rolling back. I picked it up and offered it when Azurill came back. "Here."

"W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much."

But while I was giving it back, I started to get dizzy. Everything around me seemed to be moving slower. Soon everything went black until I saw a flash of light. I heard a single voice.

"H-h-h…HELP!"

The light receded and everything went back to normal. Marill was calling Azurill over and the conversation continued as if nothing had happened.

_What was that?! That voice… It sounded like…_

"Poké for your thoughts?" I turned and Meowth was looking at me.

"D-Did you hear a shout for help just now?"

Meowth thought about it briefly before answering, "Nah, I didn't hear anything like that. Did either of you," he asked the Kecleon Brothers.

They both answered, "No, nothing out of the ordinary."

Meowth turned back to me, "D'ya think that maybe it was just your imagination?"

_No, I'm positive that I didn't imagine it. That voice… there's no doubt about it! That was Azurill's scream!_

Meowth let out a chuckle, "Wit' the amount of thinking that you do, I'll go broke! Let's go, Rio!" He led me back to the main square on the way back to the guild and we saw Marill and Azurill talking with a yellow and brown Pokémon. They seemed to be pretty happy.

I heard Marill say, "Thank you!"

Meanwhile the yellow Pokémon said, "Please! It's nothing."

We walked up and Meowth asked, "What's goin' on?"

Marill explained that they had lost an important item and that Drowzee, the Pokémon they were talking to, had claimed to have seen it.

"He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this," Marill finished with glee.

Meowth was also happy, "That's great!"

Azurill was hopping up and down with excitement, "Thank you, Mr. Drowzee!"

Drowzee just smiled, "Oh, please… I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search." Both brothers replied with a "Yup!"

But while they were leaving, Drowzee accidentally bumped into me. "Whoops! Excuse me," he apologized before leaving. Then I started to get dizzy again.

"That Drowzee sure is a nice guy. After seeing all those outlaw posters, it's nice to see one."

Everything slowed down until it went dark.

In a blinding light, a scene appeared before my eyes.

In a gray, mountainous region Drowzee was with Azurill and appeared to be threatening him.

"If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!"

"H-h-h…HELP!"

The scene faded and Meowth was still talking.

"I hope those tykes find their item soon. Hm? What's up Rio?"

_I have to tell Meowth what I saw! That was the exact same scream that I heard earlier!_

Meowth raised an eyebrow, "What's with the grim face?"

"Meowth, I have to tell you something. Earlier, the reason that I heard that scream is that I had some sort of dizzy spell. I had another one after meeting Drowzee, but this one wasn't just a voice, it was a vision. I saw Drowzee and Azurill in a mountain area and Drowzee was threatening Azurill. In the vision, I heard the same scream that I heard earlier. I think Azurill may be in danger! We have to go after them right away! It's an emergency!"

Meowth stood there for a while and after taking a deep breath, he said, "Well, that sounds like an emergency, but, and it's not that I don't trust ya Rio, but it _does_ seem a little bit out there. Drowzee seemed like a honest-to-goodness nice guy. Maybe you're just stressed out and had a bad feeling."

_Was it just a bad feeling? I guess Meowth has a point, Drowzee did seem real nice._

"Besides, we're still newbies. We can't run off whenever we feel like it. I mean, sure it's worrying, but we have to focus on our guild work for now. Let's finish getting ready, then meet up with Bidoof."

"A-Alright." But I couldn't shake the feeling.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Man, I wonder what that was about. I mean I've seen some villain types and Drowzee just doesn't seem ta fit the bill. If anything, he'd probably get along with the twerps._

After we finished getting ready, we decided to pay a visit to the watering hole. I wondered how it worked, but then a book with "Team Righteous" written on the cover floated up out of the water. I opened it and it had everything written down from when we first formed our exploration team.

_Only two pages so far? Well I guess we are still new._

I wrote down what we had done with a feather on the rim of the well, and then when I closed it, the book jerked out of my hands and went back in the water.

We went back to the guild and met with Bidoof on the Mission Floor. After he asked us if we were ready, I stepped up to the board.

_Let's see… Shelgon, too tough… Kadabra, heck no… Makuhita, ouch…_

Bidoof spoke up, "Ahem. As your mentor, how about I do the choosing?"

I agreed, "Alright, but don't pick anyone too tough."

"Yes sirree, I hear you! Let's see. Eenie, meenie…"

Then an alarm went off and I heard a voice that seemed to be three voices, "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

Then there was a tremor. I asked Bidoof what was going on.

He calmly replied, "Oh, the data's getting updated."

With a clack the panel in front of us was flipped over.

While we were waiting, Bidoof explained that it was Dugtrio who updated the boards by tunneling behind them and flipping the panels to update the postings.

Then we heard the alarm again, and Dugtrio's voice, "Update completed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!"

_Huh… guess he's finished._

"Looks like the list of outlaws has been updated, so let's pick one."

But I had already gotten a good look at the new list of outlaws and one of them made me start seeing red…

**Please don't hate me, but I had to divide this part of the game into two chapters and I didn't see any better part to cut at. So in this historical moment, my first cliffhanger, I will see you next time. I'll try to get the next chapter done ASAP. But what could Meowth have seen that got him so angry? A Persian? A Tyranitar? A Pikachu? Has anyone reading this SERIOUSLY never played this game?**

**PS these chapters seem to be getting longer…**


	10. Chapter 5: The Storm

Chapter 5: The Storm

_I can't believe it… That lying, horrible, SON-OF-A-DITTO!_

Bidoof was saying something, but I couldn't hear him. I was so angry that I was shaking.

"Rio! Take a look at the board. Top left!"

Rio looked at the board and looked shocked, "T-that means…"

There was a wanted poster of Drowzee. Wanted in two regions; known for deception.

"You were right! Drowzee's actually an outlaw! We have to move, Azurill is in danger!" We both ran up the ladder, leaving Bidoof confused.

At the crossroads, we ran into Marill and he looked scared and worried.

I ran up and said, "Marill, what happened? Where are Azurill and Drowzee?"

Marill explained that he wound up all alone when Drowzee went ahead with Azurill, "I called and called! But they didn't come back. I got scared…"

"Which way did they go?"

"Th-this way!" Marill started leading us out of town.

**-Rio's POV-**

We were running as fast as we could. I was carrying Marill so that we could run faster. I got a glance at Meowth next to me.

_I've seen Meowth get angry before, but I've never seen him this serious._

On my back, Marill said, "That's it! That mountain right there!"

I put Marill down and Meowth asked, "You're sure that the two of them went in there?"

Marill nodded, "Yes…"

Meowth turned to me, "Rio, your dream! Didn't you say that you saw them in a mountain area?"

"That's right…"

"Then let's roll!"

We ran into the mystery dungeon, the entrance disappearing behind us. After we were alone, Meowth got my attention, "Rio, we have all the items that we need. What matters most right now is that we catch up to Azurill and Drowzee as quickly as possible."

"Right."

We went through the dungeon as fast as we could, finding the stairs and moving forward. Meowth was especially quick with taking down opponents. He learned Fake Out at some point, allowing him to surprise opponents and take them down before they recovered. Through the whole dungeon, that scowl never left Meowth's face. It was as if he was already ahead to the battle with Drowzee. I felt like I had to say something.

"Meowth…"

"What?"

"You can't blame yourself; Drowzee had everyone fooled."

"I know, Rio. But that's not the reason…"

"Then why? I've never seen you so serious about anything."

"'S personal. I'll tell you one day."

That just made me want to ask him again, but I decided to leave it alone, since he didn't seem to blame himself.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_I don't blame myself because I was fooled; I blame myself because this is exactly the kinda work I did under Team Rocket. Using lies and tricks and acts to play other people and Pokémon; doesn't feel so good being the tricked instead of the tricker._

_I need to stop Drowzee, because he's just like the old me._

Soon we got to the final floor and up ahead we heard a cry, "H-h-h…HELP!"

We rushed forward and I shouted, "Stop right there!"

Drowzee turned around and Azurill backed away, crouching into the back corner facing away from him.

"You're not going to get away with this, Drowzee!"

Drowzee was starting to back up, "H-how did you find this place?!"

Rio yelled, "We're Team Righteous! An exploration team! No criminal can escape us!"

"An exploration team?! You came to apprehend…" Drowzee noticed me shaking, "…Huh? Are you… trembling?"

_Oh, it's not the kind you're thinking of, big nose._

"A-ha! I've figured it out! You say you're an exploration team, but you're total rookies!"

Rio was looking at me, and I whispered, "Don't worry, Rio. I'm not scared… Seeing this guy really makes me mad."

"Heh. That's right, I'm a wanted Pokémon with a bounty on my head. But can you two do the job? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice? I've been chased by all sorts of exploration teams in my day, but never a sorrier-looking bunch than you. This should be a laugh. Show me what you got!"

"Rush him," I shouted and Rio started with a Quick Attack while I ran forward to follow up.

But Drowzee didn't even try to dodge the attack. He took it with a chuckle, "That tickles." Then he punched Rio away and swept my feet out from under me. But I didn't give up. Relying on my cat agility, I turned the fall into a tumble and jumped up with a Scratch attack.

But Drowzee wasn't even there anymore, he was behind me, "I saw that attack coming." Then he kicked me in the stomach while I was in the air. **AN: Forewarn (AKA Prophetic Dream): Will sometimes evade attacks, even ones that never miss.**

I managed to avoid the worst of the landing, but I was feeling tired. I reached for an oran berry, but Drowzee stepped on my arm. "I'm finished here. Despite how much fun I'm having, I have things to do." But I could hear footsteps coming up behind him, so I just smirked.

Drowzee's eyes narrowed, "What's that look for?" Then Rio leaped onto Drowzee's back and used Bite on his shoulder.

Drowzee screamed in pain and his foot loosened so I rolled away and ate an oran berry to restore my energy.

Drowzee looked over his shoulder, "You ingrate! You'll pay for that! CONFUSION!"

_Oh no! Rio's a fighting type! I have to save him._

I ran over, but Rio was getting slammed around the room, even if I attack Drowzee, I need to break his hold first.

_Wait, he had to look over his shoulder to use his attack… Psychics must need their target in sight!_

I ran up behind him and jumped onto the back of his head and covered his eyes, using my claws to dig into his nose and hold on.

Rio was free, but he fell like a stone to the ground. The reviver seed in the Treasure Bag started glowing and floated outta the bag towards Rio.

Drowzee tried prying my hands off, but I dug my claws in deeper, "Rrgh! Let go!"

Instead of answering, I just used Bite on the top of his head.

"Argh!" Then Drowzee started to run toward a wall with his head tilted towards it.

_Does he think I'm stupid?_

I waited until the last minute, and then jumped backwards. He ran his head straight into the wall. He turned around and glared at me.

"CONFU-"

"Too slow!" I used Fake Out and dashed into him elbowing his stomach. While he was cringing I took a quick look at Rio. The reviver seed had started spreading roots of energy that were healing his cuts and bruises. I turned back to Drowzee and moved forward to do more damage.

"Attacking a downed opponent, how typical given a Pokémon of your background."

I stopped and narrowed my eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I can read dreams; dreams are retellings of memories. I'm sure that Jessie and James would be proud of the goody two-shoes you've become."

This made me freeze.

**-Rio's POV-**

_Ugh, Drowzee really took it out of me… good thing we carried this reviver seed. Meowth has been handling himself real well, though. Wait, are they talking? Maybe if I tilt my head a little bit…_

"How does it feel to be a former criminal hunting down a current one?"

_?!_

**-Drowzee's POV-**

_Hehehehe, I just need to keep him distracted until I recover from that little sneak attack. I'll render him so stunned that I won't need psychic powers to finish him. His partner is still recovering so I can finish him at my leisure._

He was trembling a bit, "You have no right to preach to me. I've gone straight, and I'm going to stop you."

"No matter how many outlaws you 'stop' you'll always be a criminal."

"Hi, pot; name's kettle, have we met?" _Damn, that just riled him up. I just need to stall a little longer…_

"At least I don't lie to myself. I'm sure that that helps with the nightmares." _Ha! Perfect, now his guard is down._

"I'm bad and I like it. I revel in it. You pretend to be good, and if your 'friends' found out who you really are, you would be hunted like me. Face it, we're the same. The only difference is that I accept it."

Now his arms were down and he had his head bent down. _Now!_

I rushed forward, but he took something from his bag and whipped it at my face. I got a glimpse of white before it hit me in the face. I closed my eyes as it shattered and I shook my head.

"Ha! You really thought that something like that would hurt me? I didn't feel a thing!" I opened my eyes.

Darkness.

_Wait, why can't I see anything? This is a mountain peak. The sun should be shining down._

"What was that you just threw at me?!" I looked around but still saw nothing. I heard him, his voice seemed to be everywhere, and I couldn't track it.

"It's called a blinker seed. It makes the Pokémon who cracks its shell go totally blind; lights out. And I have to thank you, Drowzee. Earlier today I thought that you were like how I used ta be. But I was wrong. The difference between us is that I had friends who were with me through the good times and bad of being a villain. We kept each other from falling into that pit that you've gone into. I feel sorry for you, Drowzee, leaving my friends was the hardest part of my decision to go straight, but you have nothing and nobody. It's a real shame. And now that I have gone straight and am helping others, I know that I'll be able to change my ways because I have new friends to help me."

_What is he going on about? I… well, I…_

"But enough talk, I still have to finish this. You _did_ threaten Azurill, after all."

SNIKT!

_Oh no…_

"Wait! Please have mercy! I swear that I'll surrender and come quietly!"

I couldn't hear his steps or track his voice, but I could hear the edge in it, "Sorry, bud. I may have gone straight, but I'm no saint. And you stepped on Jessie and James's memory by talking about them the way you did. _Mercy_ is not open for discussion right now…"

I felt a Scratch attack go across my back and then the back of my legs, forcing me to drop to my knees. Then I felt one up across my chest and down the side of my face. I couldn't tell when I lost consciousness. All I could see was darkness.

** -Rio's POV-**

The reviver seed used the last of its energy, and I opened my eyes. I got up and picked up the now plain seed off the ground.

_What did I just hear? Meowth used to be a criminal, but he decided to be good?_

**_"I know, Rio. But that's not the reason… 'S personal. I'll tell you one day."_**

_So what do I do? Do I confront him and ask him about it, or do I pretend to not know until he's ready to tell me? I couldn't imagine holding something in like that; I think he needs to share it with someone. I'll hint at it and see if he wants to talk about it._

I ran over to Meowth and he was standing over Drowzee, who was unconscious on the floor.

Meowth turned to me and said with a smile, "Glad to see you're alright Rio."

I nodded, "Let's go get Azurill."

We went to Azurill and told him that we were there to rescue him after checking for injuries.

Meowth said, "Your big brother's waiting. Let's get you home!"

Azurill followed us and I carried Drowzee over my shoulder. We still needed to turn him in to the police, after all.

We met with the lead officer, Magnezone and handed Drowzee over to him. The two magnemite made an electrical barrier around Drowzee and he woke up while we were talking with Magnezone.

"Thanks to you, we have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw. ZZZT! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!"

Then he turned to Drowzee and said, "Now come with us! ZZZT!"

Drowzee moaned, but had no choice with the electrical field. As he passed us, he seemed to focus on Meowth with some semblance of respect.

"Azurill!"

The three of us turned and Marill was standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Marill!"

After a very heartwarming reunion, Marill and Azurill thanked us, "We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much."

Marill turned to Azurill, "Come on, Azurill. You too."

Azurill nodded and turned to us, "Thank you very much! Thank you for rescuing me!"

Marill finished, "Really… Really, thank you!"

Afterwards we all started to head back to Treasure Town. Since we were trailing, I decided to try hinting at what Drowzee said about Meowth.

_Alright, be subtle…_

"How did you beat Drowzee? Didn't he try using Confusion on you too?"

"I used that new move, Fake Out to stun him before he could. He tried to stall for time by talking, but when he attacked, I used a blinker seed on him and finished him off."

"How could he have stalled by talking?"

"He just brought up some unpleasant things… It just made me realize how ridiculous those thoughts were."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"… Sure, but not right now. I'll tell ya tonight."

* * *

**So, Meowth is finally willing to trust Rio enough to tell him about his past. What will Meowth tell Rio that he doesn't already know? Find out next time!**


	11. Chapter 6: Explanations Under a Storm

Chapter 6: Explanations Under a Storm

**So sorry to keep you all waiting! It's really down to the wire over here since the semester's almost over. This is probably the last chapter that I'll post for a bit, since I have bigger, and far less fun, projects to work on now. Please wait a little longer; after this, I'll have Winter break!**

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Gah! What did I just promise?! I mean I trust Rio, but I don't know if he fully trusts me or if he'll be willing to after I tell him about my past. Ah… Well, I've already promised to tell him, so the wheels are in motion._

We got back to the guild at around sunset, and Chatot was waiting for us at the outlaw notice board.

"I've gotten the bounty from Officer Magnezone for the captured outlaw. Well done you two! Here's your share for the job. It's yours to keep!"

He handed us 300 Poké…

"All of that hard work, and this is all that we get to keep?"

"… But of course! It's all part of the training. And we expect just as much effort tomorrow!"

After he left, I turned to Rio and said, "I'd be real happy if our share of the reward was a little bigger… I guess it's okay, though. We did rescue Azurill after all. And really, it's because of you Rio. Since you had that dream, we knew where to find Azurill."

Rio crossed his arms and tilted his head, "That's true, but I don't know how I was able to see something in the future…"

Then my stomach growled, "Oops! Sorry 'bout that!" But Rio's stomach growled too. "Ha, yours too! We musta been so focused on rescuing Azurill that we ignored our bellies! C'mon, let's go get some dinner."

After dinner, we went to our room and later, there was a storm going on.

It was then that I noticed something, "Hey, Rio! Something that I just remembered; there was a storm on the night before I met you! Then I found you on the beach the next day. Do you remember why you were out cold on the beach? Anything?"

Rio thought about it for a bit before shaking his head, "I remember a storm, but I can't remember anything else."

I sighed, "I guess it won't be that easy for you to remember. But that's alright, just try for a bit at a time."

"Well, we have to get up early tomorrow. I might as well tell you now, so we can get some shut-eye. The thing that Drowzee brought up to try and stall is my past."

"Your past? How could he know that?"

"I'd been having nightmares for the past few nights. Don't ask; I don't wanna talk about them. But he was able to glimpse at the memories linked to those dreams."

Rio seemed to be putting it together, "And he played off of your bad memories?"

"No. He used the information on my past to try and get to me."

"Wait if he got information of your past from your nightmares, then… Why would your past give you nightmares?"

_Well, time to drop the bomb…_

I sighed, "Because… I used to be a crook."

I watched Rio's face; the expression went from shocked, to confusion, to slightly afraid, then curiosity, "Used to be?"

_Well… at least he's not angry. Roll with it._

I took a deep breath, "Yes; used ta be. I guess I should take it from the top. For starters, I'm not really from this world."

"You mean you're a human too?!"

"No! No, that's not it. I've been a Pokémon for as long as I can remember. But the world that I came from _did_ have humans and Pokémon. But that's off-topic. I used to be a part of an evil group called Team Rocket. I had two human partners and our job was to capture Pokémon…"

"Wait, if it was a human organization, why were you a member?"

"I was a special case where I come from. I learned to walk on two legs and talk like a human all on my own, but that's a different story. The goal of our team, my two partners and I, was ta capture one particular Pokémon, but we couldn't ever do it. Even though we kept failing, I stayed with my team because my partners had become my friends. We kept each other supported. But one day, I started to wonder why I was with Team Rocket. After thinking about it, the reasons that I had when I joined just weren't enough anymore."

"You mean that you had a falling out with your friends?"

"No. It's that I wasn't strong enough to actually help my friends. I had spent all of my growth on learning how to talk. Deciding that I had no more reasons to stay, I left Team Rocket and had decided to change my life. But soon after, I was about to be found. So I used a desperate move to get away. I blacked out and had a dream where a voice told me that he was going to give me a chance to start over. He sent me here. I found out later that he had held my memories for a whole month. I actually got them back the night before I met you."

Rio looked confused, "Why that particular night?"

"I don't know, I haven't gotten any more messages since then. So that's everything up to the point where I met you."

I waited, watching Rio for signs of what he was going to do next. He seemed a little bit shocked, but not nearly as bad as I thought he'd be. After a bit, he seemed to relax and there was a smile on his face.

"I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me this, Meowth."

I was surprised, "Wait, so you don't mind that I was a crook?"

"Well, I didn't know you back then, but you really do care about others."

"Alright, let's not get mushy about this."

"Besides, if you were willing to change, then you couldn't have been all bad."

**-Rio's POV-**

After that long discussion, we decided to go to bed. Meowth was silent for quite a time before he said, "Hey, Rio. You still awake? I've been thinking about that weird dream that you had. Maybe it has to do with you personally, Rio."

_Huh?_

"It's just a hunch that I got. I sure don't know any other Riolu who dreams about the future. And I'm pretty sure that humans don't suddenly turn into Pokémon. So, I think that those two things are connected. I feel it in my gut."

_The key to unlocking my memory…Was it in that dream? But even if that were true… How does it relate to anything else?_

"I don't know what you were like as a human, Rio… But I'm positive that you were a nice guy. I mean, it was 'cuz of your vision that we were able to catch Drowzee."

"That actually reminds me, Meowth, Chatot said that the number of bad Pokémon has been increasing because of 'time' being messed up."

"Yeah, I didn't get it at first either, since time in my world is pretty much not something that can be messed with. But most Pokémon, me included, think that the Time Gears are involved."

"Time Gears?"

"Time Gears are said to maintain the flow of time. They say that time gears are hidden in secret places around the world. Rumors that I've heard say that there's one hidden in a forest, an underground cavern, and even a secret shrine in a volcano. Nobody really knows what happens if a region loses it's Time Gear. My guess is that, if a Time Gear is removed, then time will stop in the region that it's in. That's why everybody makes sure not to disturb the Time Gears. Ever. Even the worst criminal would steer clear."

**-? POV-**

_Grr… this forest just seems to go on forever. And this rain is making it difficult to see. Wait! What's that glow up ahead?_

"Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be…? Yes, it is! I've finally found it! A Time Gear! But… this is only the first of many…"


	12. Chapter 7: Walking on Our Own

**Huzzah! I have conquered the dreaded essay and two presentations! I need to start studying for finals, but I'll give this chapter to sustain you, my loyal readers, 'til the after Finals. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Walking on Our Own…

**-Meowth's POV-**

After our mission rescuing Azurill, things fell into a bit of a rut. We were assigned to pick our own missions from the Mission Floor and do them ourselves. It got a little… boring.

I mean, the missions are interesting, but there was nothing major going on. The highlight of the last few days was seeing a Spinda at the side of the crossroads doing who-knows-what.

We did some missions, going between the three dungeons that we knew, mostly doing more than one at a time. We were even pulled aside for sentry duty once, but there isn't much to tell about that.

Also I had been feeling much better ever since I told Rio my secret. 'S nice to be able to talk with him openly instead of havin' to hide things.

As the days went by we learned about the ranking system of both the missions and exploration teams. Soon, we were promoted to a Bronze Rank exploration team; we got new badges and more storage space for items.

But what's important is what Chatot is telling us right now.

"Far to the northeast, then farther into its outermost reaches… There lies a place named Treeshroud Forest… In Treeshroud Forest… Time has apparently stopped…"

Everyone stopped dead and looked at Chatot. He continued…

"Time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud Forest… The wind has stopped, the clouds are motionless… Dewdrops on leaves won't fall; they just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time itself has truly stopped."

I couldn't believe my ears. Everyone was scared and Sunflora spoke up, "But how could this have happened?" Then she seemed to think of something and shouted, "It's unthinkable!"

Chatot continued, "Yes, the unthinkable has happened. Why has time stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because Treeshroud Forest's Time Gear was… stolen!"

My mind was running a million miles an hour. _Who would be dumb, reckless or CRAZY enough ta steal a Time Gear?!_

Everyone was shouting about how it could've possibly happened and why, but Chatot interrupted, "Quiet, everyone! Officer Magnezone has already has already started an investigation. It's hard to believe that anyone would dare steal a Time Gear. But if one Time Gear was stolen, the others may also be in danger. The officer asked to be notified immediately if we notice any suspicious characters. So keep that in mind. Let us know if you notice anything. That is all. All right, everyone! Here's to another busy day of work!"

"HOORAY!" And everyone headed off to their posts. We were about to head to the Mission Floor when Chatot stopped us.

"Oh, you there. You two, come here." We stood in front of Chatot and he continued, "You've become quite good at your work. I'm impressed with your capture of Drowzee. That was very admirable!" _Wow, it's usually difficult to get any praise from this guy._

"So!" Chatot saying this snapped me outta my thoughts, "You all will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."

I was interested now, "Really? Awesome, what is it?"

"Let me see your Wonder Map." Rio opened it up and the usual landscape appeared on the paper. Chatot pointed to the map drawing a line to a waterfall as he explained, "Over here is where we want you to investigate. This waterfall flowing here. By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've received intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in. We want you lot to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there. Do you understand?"

Rio rolled up the Wonder Map and we both nodded.

"Good! All right, I'll leave you all to thoroughly investigate the waterfall."

_Our first real mission since rescuing Azurill, our first exploration._

I turned to Rio, "Let's do this right, Rio!"

He nodded, "You bet!"

As we left, we were called over by Chimecho who said that we could recruit new team members after she "rang the Friendship Bell" whatever that meant. But it was good news; a two-man team can fall a little short sometimes. When she explained the recruiting process, I was a little confused.

_Usually, beating the stuffing outta others doesn't make 'em wanna join you…_

When we reached the crossroads we found a staircase where that Spinda was hanging around. When we went to check it out, we found that the entrance was closed and a sign that said, "Spinda's Café! A Shop of Hopes and Dreams, Opening Soon! Win Big!"

"'Hopes and Dreams'? What's that supposed ta mean? I guess we can check it out when it's open." Rio just shrugged his shoulders.

On our way into town to prepare, Rio asked me about the Marowak Dojo. I had actually forgotten about the place, but I told him what I knew, "It's a place where Pokémon train. I heard that since not everyone wants to travel to mystery dungeons, they train at that dojo to get stronger. But it's been collapsed for as long as I've been in town."

"Can we check it out," Rio asked, clasping his hands together. _Oi, fighting types… Always obsessed with finding new training methods. Rio may have been a human, but right now his Riolu instincts are in the driver seat._

"Alright, alright; we can see if it's open now." We walked over to the entrance, and the notice that I always saw barring the door was gone. _Drat. I was hoping it was still closed… 3, 2, 1…_

"Come on, let's go in!" Rio dragged me into the entrance.

We met the owner of the dojo, Marowak, inside, and he seemed shocked, "V-Visitors… F-finally… M-my… first visitors!" He quickly pulled himself together and walked forward, "Welcome to Marowak Dojo. This is my place! It's dedicated to the training of exploration teams! The dojo went to rack and ruin, then to a pile of rubble, but… it has now risen from the dust to its former glory! But… I haven't had any visitors…" _Ouch… _"There hasn't even been one. It saddened me to my very marrow… But then! Along came you two! You are my first customers! From my very marrow, I'm feeling overjoyed! I don't even want any money! Keep it! Just train here, that's all I ask!"

After he explained the mazes and gave the warning about our items, I tried to bail out, "Well, that's nice, but, uh, we have a mission to do today…" Marowak turned to me and said, "Oh, don't worry! The mazes are special. Time is often sped up in mystery dungeons but the reverse is true for the mazes. One hour in there is equal to one minute out here, yet you keep all of the experience from the trials within." _Double drat!_ "Often times, teams will train in here while they wait for different missions to be posted, that way they can get multiple missions to the same mystery dungeon." _Oh, that might actually be useful in the future… Wait. Why hasn't Rio said anything about this. _**AN: I always found it weird how going to the dojo was enough time for the missions to change, but not enough for a whole day, so this is my theory.**

I turned to look at Rio and his eyes were glued to the maze entrance and he had a look in his eye that I knew wasn't gonna be good for me. He turned to me and said, "Come on Meowth, let's give it a try. We don't know how tough enemies we fight on our mission will be. Better safe than sorry, right?"

_Sumpin' tells me he won't take "no" for an answer…_

I agreed and we left our stuff in storage before picking a maze. I managed to convince Rio to play it safe and start with the Grass Maze (it sounded the least dangerous). He did alright, but I was getting my tail handed to me. The only consolation was that we didn't lose anything found in the maze whenever we lost. But, as it turned out, Rio is a sore loser; so "a try" wound up being "four tries". It didn't help that Rio wasn't satisfied just getting through the maze, he wanted to explore every room and fight every enemy on the way.

"We have plenty of time. The point of a dojo is to get stronger," he said as we walked past the staircase to the next floor. But he did have a point; he had learned Force Palm along the way, which was really powerful. And I was able to keep up with him halfway through the second try. And on our last try I re-learned Fury Swipes; good thing too, I had really missed that move. I managed to convince Rio to leave since we had learned new moves and reminded him that we still had an assignment. We had been at it for 13 hours already, maze-standard time.

We got the stuff we needed back from Kangaskhan and headed out for the waterfall. We made really good time since our legs were stronger. When we got to the waterfall, we saw that there wasn't anything special about it; just a waterfall.

I decided to break the ice, "Well, we're here, so now what?" When I walked up to get a closer look, I got knocked back, "Gah! That water stings!"

Rio walked closer and put a hand near the waterfall, "Yeesh, you're right I'm not even touching it and- Ah!" While he was turning his hand touched the water. He held it with his other hand and backed away.

"How are we supposed ta 'investigate' this waterfall? We can barely get near it." As I said this, Rio shook his head like he was trying to clear his head. "Hm? What's wrong Rio? Did some land on your head?"

He opened his eyes and turned to me. After waiting for a moment, he said, "I just had another vision. I saw a figure jump into the waterfall, but he didn't jump into it, he jumped _through_ it. There's a cave on the other side."

It took everything I had to keep my jaw from dropping. _INTO the waterfall?!_

"That seems a little dangerous. I mean, what if there's actually a cliff behind there? We'd be black and bl- _bruised up_ pretty badly… All right, I'll trust you again, Rio. Your visions have never been wrong before. I believe in you." _Whoa, did I just say that? I haven't believed in anything for a long time… Not even myself._

We both backed away and I felt a slight twinge of doubt, but quickly shoved it away, focusing more on running fast enough. We alternated the countdown, "On three, Rio… 1"

Rio continued, "2…"

And both of us ran forward shouting, "3!"

We jumped and I felt a crushing pressure for a short time before I felt air again and we both landed a bit rough for comfort. I got up, rubbing my tail that I landed on. I looked around and there was a cave made of blue stone.

"A cave! You were right, Rio! Awesome! Now let's do this!" And we walked forward into the inky blue darkness.

* * *

**I probably could fit in the dungeon in this chapter, but that would make it overly long, plus the events that I have planned for the dungeon will tie in with the title of the next chapter. BTW, I'm not going to write in every single Pokémon that I recruit, that would be horrendous. I'm going to write in the recruits that I like; if you have any Pokémon that you want to see on my team, let me know via PM which one and which dungeon it's in. If it is in a dungeon outside of the main story, I only promise to ****try****.**


	13. Chapter 8: A New Friend and Big News

**Och, the suspense is killing me over here. I need something to calm my nerves and my other games don't calm me down. So another chapter it is. _EDIT: you all are lucky that I love you so much. Site freaks out and I have to put all the effects and paragraphs in HTML..._**

Chapter 8: A New Friend and Big News

We set out into the cave and, as usual the entrance vanished behind us.

I had to say, and I'm not usually one to gush about "am-bee-ance", but this cave was really pretty. I mean, blue light seemed ta come offa the water. Just… wow.

Also, there was a travelling Kecleon merchant, but he didn't have anything that we needed.

Wandering around, we found some enemy Pokémon. We managed to beat them and we were moving on when we heard a "Wait…"

We turned around and a Grimer was pulling itself together (literally…), and he slithered up to us. He stopped in front of us and said, "You two are strong." Then he eyed my badge that I kept pinned to the treasure bag, "And an exploration team. If I join your team, will I get stronger too?"

_O-kaaay… this is totally weird._ "Uh… I guess. But you can't just join to get stronger, you hafta help."

"Of course, of course. I'll help any way that I can, just please let me join!" He was bent forward as if on his knees, "It's boring as soap wandering around this cave all the time!"

I pulled Rio aside and whispered, "What's this guy's deal? Just a minute ago, he was trying to beat us up, and now he's begging to join like he's wanted to for years."

Rio shrugged his shoulders, "Well Chimeco said that enemies would 'respect' our strength. I guess this is a case where an opponent asks to be the winner's apprentice. A poison type could be useful, tough enemies can be disadvantaged at the start of a battle."

"I guess… Well I guess that settles it." We turned back around and the Grimer was still on his not-knees. I said to him, "After careful consideration, we've decided to accept you as a member of our team." Grimer looked up, overjoyed, and Rio said, "Welcome to Team Righteous."

"Hooray, you won't regret this! I'll do my best!" But he spread his arms and moved forward. Sensing what he was doing, we both said, "No hugs!"

Grimer backed off and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry." Then our badges gleamed and a beam of light shone on Grimer, bending into another badge, hanging on his skin. Grimer looked down at it and smiled, "Awesome! Uh, now do you want to give me a nickname, so you don't confuse me with any other Grimer?"

Rio and I bantered about it a bit before deciding, "Your name will be… Siltram." **AN: Silt tram… Since he's moving sludge… I couldn't think of anything more creative, okay…**

"Alright! Now let's go!" Siltram seemed to like his new name and he watched our back while Rio and I took the front. He was a little weak compared to us, but he could turn into a puddle and reform behind the enemy to counter. _With a little strength training, that fighting style could be useful._

**-Rio's POV-**

_Wow, I never realized how much help an extra member could be._

Eventually, we reached the bottom of the dungeon and the first thing that I saw was a bunch of gems all around the floor. Meowth was really excited, "We hit the mother lode, Rio! Look at that huge gem over there! We'll be the team of the month if we bring this back."

Siltram looked on, "I dunno, Meowth, it seems pretty stuck in there…"

Meowth put his hands on the sides of the gem, "Nonsense," he tried pulling it out, "Just… needs… a little… ELBOW GREEEEASE!" He punctuated each phrase with a strong pull, trying to dig in with his claws for the last one. Then he gave up with a pant. He sighed and took deep breaths to get his energy back. "Alright, you _might_ have a point Siltram. Rio, you're stronger than me. Could ya give it a try?"

"Sure." I walked up to the gem and pulled as hard as I could, putting my arms, back, and legs into it. Once… Twice… Three times… _Nope, no good. It's not even loosening._

I stepped back, "Sorry, Meowth. It's not moving an inch." Meowth thought for a bit, "Siltram, any ideas?"

Siltram shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, no backbone." But then a thought occurred to him, "But there is one thing I can try…" He slithered forward and felt around the wall surrounding the gem. _What is he…?_

"Got it!" Then Siltram oozed into a small crack between the wall and the gem. From behind we heard, "I can try to increase the pressure behind here to pop it out."

While we were waiting, that familiar dizziness set in again. _Again? Another one?_

Everything went dark and there was a flash of light.

_The figure walked into this cave and tried moving the gem. Unable to pull it out, he pushed it in. Doing this triggered a trap that washed him out of the cave._

The light faded, and Siltram was oozing back out of the crack, "Sorry, it's just too stuck to pressure it out…"

Meowth said, "'S okay. But we can't give up. I'll give it another go; maybe you two loosened it up."

Meowth tried again and couldn't pull out the gem. He let go and leaned against the gem as he caught his breath. The gem sank into the wall.

_Oh no!_

"Huh? What was that about?" The gem went back to its regular position and the whole room started to rumble.

Siltram was starting to panic, "What's happening?"

I looked to the right, knowing what to expect, but it was already too late. Water was rushing towards us in a massive wave and we only had time to move a few feet before it washed us out of the cave. We were blown out of a geyser and we blacked out.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Ow… What the heck was that? Felt like I got a bath with a fire hose. Wait, now it actually feels cozy…_

I opened my eyes, and Rio and I were floating in a hot spring. Siltram was awake and waiting for us at the edge.

"Where are we, Rio?"

A Teddiursa walked up to me, "Hi, hi! Are you two okay? You plopped down from nowhere! Oh, you startled everyone!"

Rio and I managed to get up and we looked around, I noticed that there were other Pokémon around too. I knew one of them, "Oh, hi Vigoroth. Where are we?"

A voice behind me answered, "This is the Hot Spring." I turned around and saw a Torkoal standing at the edge of the spring, "It works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokémon visit here. Tell me, youngster, have you a map?"

Rio answered, "We have our wonder map; might be a bit soggy, though." Rio unrolled the slightly damp parchment and Torkoal looked closely before pointing out the location of the Hot Spring. Noticing where the waterfall was, I said to Rio, "That geyser sent the three of us flying all the way here!" _I mean, I've flown farther, but seriously…_

Torkoal looked concerned, "My goodness! It was the water that carried you all this way? What a long journey that must have been! Let the Hot Spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home."

We both smiled and said "Thanks, Torkoal." We relaxed for a bit, but Siltram remained at the edge. When I asked him, he said, "Thanks, but… I'd probably just dirty it up."

After a while, we made our way back to Treasure Town. On the way back, I thought about today's turnout.

_Well, we didn't get any of the gems that were in the cave, but we did get our first new recruit. Siltram really put in the effort to help. He seems like he's really sworn himself to the team. We'll need ta take him on some of the other missions; that Poison Gas attack could help with some outlaws._

We got back to the Guild and Siltram went to go see Chimecho about a place to stay. Meanwhile we filed our report with Chatot.

"Hmm. Let me see if I've got this all straight. Behind the waterfall, there is a cave. In the deepest part of the cave, there is a gigantic gem… When you pushed on the gem, it triggered a trap of some kind. And, surprisingly, you were flushed off to the distant Hot Spring? Is that the gist of your report?"

I winced a little, "Yeah, it's a real letdown that we couldn't bring the gem back."

Chatot was smiling, "No, no, no! Emphatically, no! This is a major discovery!" Now I was confused. "After all, the presence of the cave behind the waterfall… No one knew about that before now!"

It hit me, "Oh, so we were the first ones to find it!"

"Your waterfall discovery is amazing! The Guildmaster must be told!"

"Um, excuse me." We turned to Rio. "Huh? What's up Rio?"

He looked like he had to say something that he didn't want to, "I have a feeling that Wigglytuff has been to the Waterfall Cave before."

I was surprised by this sudden thought, but Chatot reacted before I could, "No, no, no! Emphatically, no! That's inconceivable! If that were so, the Guildmaster wouldn't have ordered you to investigate the place, right?"

Rio didn't seem convinced, though, "Could you ask him?"

Chatot seemed confused now, "Since you insist, I will confirm it with the Guildmaster…" He turned away and mumbled something about being strange before he went into Wigglytuff's chamber.

I turned to Rio, "Rio, why didja have to say that?" This was an even bigger letdown than not bringing the gem back.

"The figure that I saw in that vision was Wigglytuff. I want to know if he's been there before."

I was about to continue when Chatot came back. I asked, "How'd it go?"

Chatot took a deep breath and said, "When I asked the Guildmaster, he mulled it over for a bit. And then he said… 'Oh, memories! Sweet memories! YOOM…TAH!'" We jumped a bit at the sudden shout. "Then he danced around a bit. And then he said… 'Yes, yes! When I think hard, maybe I did go there once!' And that's just what the Guildmaster said. To sum it up, it's just as Rio suspected… He has indeed already been to Waterfall Cave."

I let out a sigh, "Really…? That's a real bummer… Here I thought we actually found something new. Would've saved some trouble if Wigglytuff told us from the start…"

Chatot nodded, "The Guildmaster can be rather, uh, erratic at times… Even I can't quite fathom what goes on in his head. Well, that's too bad for you. Nevertheless, I shall expect your best effort tomorrow!" He finished with a smile.

I was in a bit of a down mood. Even dinner didn't quite cheer me up. Later, Rio and I were in our room.

I talked a bit with Rio about the day's events, then I remembered something, "Rio, something that I noticed about your dizzy spells… You're always touching something right before they happen."

Rio seemed to think about it for a split-second, "You know, you're right Meowth! Azurill's apple, Drowzee bumping into me, and the waterfall! Each of them triggered a vision."

"Also, when you saw that vision of Azurill and Drowzee, you saw the future. **(AN: HE CAN SEE THE FUTURE! Sorry, I just had to…)** But with the waterfall, you saw something from the past. In a nutshell, if you touch something you see something related to it, past or future. That could have a bunch of different uses. Not just for exploring either. That's awesome, Rio!"

Rio crossed his arms, "Well, I guess that I could, but I don't always get a vision from touching something. If I had some control over it, then it would be better…"

Our conversation was interrupted by Chatot, who said that the Guildmaster wanted to see us. We made our way to the Guildmaster's room, and after Chatot called for him a few times, he turned around.

"Hiya! Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't worry! I'm keeping watch on your activities! I should tell you why I called you here. We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

Both Rio and I were clueless, "An expedition?"

Chatot explained about the plans to explore a faraway area and Wigglytuff continued, "Usually, we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members. But you two are working so very hard! That's why we're making a special exception this time! We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!"

My jaw nearly hit the floor, "Really?! No joke?"

Chatot spoke up, "Now, now! You haven't been chosen as expedition members yet. There is still time before we set out on the expedition. If you fail to do good work before then, you cannot expect to be selected for the expedition."

Wigglytuff chimed in, "I'm sure you two can do it! Try hard!"

Rio nodded, "You bet!"

I turned to Rio, "This is awesome, Rio! Let's do our best and make sure that we get picked!"

Suddenly, today's letdowns didn't seem so bad.

* * *

**I wanted to include a Psyduck in this chapter, but I couldn't recruit one, and I didn't want to lie about my progress. BTW, you may have noticed that I edit Meowth's dialogue from the partner Pokémon. I did this for 2 reasons: Firstly, the partner Pokémon does a lot of unnecessary repetition. Second, there are some lines so sappy that Meowth would get a toothache saying them. See you next chapter, whenever that is, I can't even follow a simple plan to put things on hold…**


	14. Interlude: Pt 1

**Just a little experiment for a change of perspective. You didn't think that I would forget about these two didja?**

* * *

A Plea to Anyone…

**-James's POV-**

_If it weren't for that device, we'd be pancakes by now with all of the flying that we do._

It's been a rough few weeks. We wanted to keep looking for Meowth, but we still had to do our work to earn our keep. It was awkward, to say the least…

**-Flashback-**

_"Putting the do-gooders in their place!"_

_"We're Team Rocket!"_

_"IN YOUR FACE!"_

_"Aren't there usually three of you…?"_

_"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!"_

We never found Meowth after that encounter with the twerps at the river. I missed him. And Jessie did too, even though she would never admit it. I could tell because she never did send the application for a new partner Pokémon. Not that the boss cared whether we were three or two.

It was a silent agreement that we should give up the search. Neither Yanmega nor Mime Jr. could track down Meowth. After two weeks of searching we had decided that, wherever he had fled to after that day, he obviously did not want to be found. Another three weeks have gone by, and it has not gotten any easier. Who knows what Jessie feels, since she shoves it all down, but I haven't been handling it well at all.

Ever since Meowth left, it never felt right, like a piece was missing whenever we did our misdeeds. Since we couldn't seem to pull it together with just the two of us, we decided to find other means. Jessie donned her Jessadia reporter costume and looked for work in the nearby city, while I returned to the dabbling of my crafts to try and sell them in a more rural setting. We met once a week to see what profits we turned.

One night, I was setting up my sleeping bag at the little spot between buildings that I dubbed my own when I heard a voice.

"'Scuse me, sonny." I turned around and saw an elderly man.

"Oh, forgive me sir, I just put everything away. I can get them back out if you want to buy something."

"Nah, that's not it. Do you sleep out here," he asked, looking at the less than sanitary alley.

"Uh… I just figured I'd stay out here to catch the early birds, you know. It would be more productive than going all the way back to my bed… which I most definitely have."

"Son, has anybody told you that you're a bad liar?"

I sighed, "All right, so I don't have a bed, but I travel a lot; I'm used to sleeping outside." _No lies in there…_

"Well, I have a couch at my house which is right down the road. You can stay for the night and still catch the 'early birds', how about that?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose." _If Jessie finds out, then she'll demand that we change locations. It's too risky to stay with anyone, since our faces are everywhere._

The old man smiled kindly, "Nah, pleasure's all mine. It's been kinda lonely at the home. Retirement ain't all it's cracked up to be, I'll tell ya."

_Well, I suppose that one night couldn't hurt. Then I can leave to another village around the city where Jessie stays._

"Very well, thank you for your kindness, sir." I gave him a slight bow.

He grasped his wrist joints and gave them a quick rub, "Wouldn't have been decent to leave you out here, considering it's going to rain soon." I looked up and saw that a thick, inky stew of clouds had started forming in the quickly dimming sky.

Thanking the man once again, I shouldered my bag containing the crafts that I sold and followed him to his house, a modest one bedroom house with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room with the couch that I was to sleep on. After he bid me good night, I laid on the couch covering myself with the blanket he left me.

_So this is what common courtesy feels like… It reminds me of my times with my Nana and Pop-pop. I wonder… since Meowth left to start an honest life, has he found someone's graces to fall on? Does he have enough food? Or does he live alone, like a hermit, finding what he needs?_

_…_

_I don't know whether or not anyone watches over this world, but I'm not going to wish for Meowth back. He left for his own reasons… I just want to know… wherever he is… Is he happy?_

Rain started to patter against the window and I decided that if I didn't get to sleep soon, there would be too much noise from the thunder. After waiting a bit for some sort of sign, I decided to let the matter rest for now and get my required 6 hours.

Soon after I closed my eyes, I dreamt that I was in some sort of cave. I seemed to be transparent, but everything seemed real enough. I heard footsteps racing down from the corridor to my right and I turned to see a Doduo for a split-second before it dashed straight through me. Soon after, two more shapes followed. I froze the instant I heard that familiar voice.

"Get back here, ya big palooka!" I turned and saw that familiar shape before they turned a corner.

Unable to use my legs, I willed myself to drift along, following them. Soon I caught up and found that it was indeed Meowth, flanked with a… (I mentally sorted through my flash cards) Riolu.

The Riolu, surprisingly, spoke up, "Man, there sure is a reason this guy has gone uncaptured for so long!" But Meowth had that gleam in his eye, "Good thing we got an ace in the hole…"

Curious to see what it was, I drifted ahead to the Doduo and saw that it had already sustained a few scratches and energy burns (that Riolu must know force palm). It ran ahead and seemed to be making a mad dash for some stairs that seemed out of place for a cave. But before it reached them, it passed over a crack and purple sludge oozed out, grabbing its legs and making it trip.

Meowth and the Riolu soon caught up and the Riolu said, "Good job, Siltram! Right on time!" More purple sludge came up, forming into a Grimer, which had a Poké ball-shaped badge on it. It seemed to beam with pride, "All in a day's work, bosses!"

Taking a closer look I saw that the Riolu and Meowth both had a similar badge. Meowth grinned and said, "How many times have we told you ta stop calling us 'boss'? We're partners." The Grimer just shrugged its shoulders. Meowth looked at the Doduo and said, "Well, time to finish up."

Meowth and the Riolu walked up to the Doduo and Meowth said, "Doduo, wanted for five thieveries, AKA the Beige Bandit, it's time for you ta be brought in. But first you need to return the items you stole."

I was shocked. _Meowth became a good guy?! He chases outlaws and wherever he is, Pokémon can talk?! No wonder we couldn't find him! He must be in a different world entirely!_

The Doduo snapped me out of my reverie, "Ha! You think I'll just _give_ them to you?"

Meowth just casually looked at the Riolu, "I don't think he's gonna cooperate, Rio."

The Riolu, Rio apparently, said "We had a feeling you'd say that. Siltram?"

The Grimer slithered over the Doduo's body, all the way up to its heads. The Doduo started struggling, "Ew! Gross! Get this guy off of me!"

I was too busy laughing to hear the next few minutes of the conversation. _Meowth must have come up with that! He always had a knack for the outlandish._

But one thing that I noticed was Meowth's bearing. His shoulders were squared like he was ready to take on anything. As if a great weight were lifted off and he had grown stronger… And all the while, that look of excitement never left his eyes.

_Our little Meowth is all grown up…_

The dream faded and I woke up to the morning sun through the window.

**-Rio's POV-**

Meowth let out a hearty sneeze while Doduo was leading us to his item stash. But I was focusing on the emotions I just picked up

_What was that just now? I felt a strong sense of happiness and pride… tinged with a bit of sadness._

* * *

**That's the first interlude! I like James, and I wanted to give him some clarification. Could The Voice have a hand in this? I could end this here, but if you all have any ideas, I'm all ears. And by "you all", I mean the ONE person who actually reviews this story… Thank you Antex, your reviews keep me going!**


	15. Chapter 9: A Not-So-Happy Reunion

**I'm finally back! The past three days have been busy as all get-out! After resting on the previous day, it's time for another chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 9: A Not-So-Happy Reunion…

Today after our morning cheers, Chatot made the announcement that Rio and I already knew, with a few added details.

"Ahem! As I was explaining… There is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of that lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while."

The other apprentices all cheered excitedly at the idea. Loudred spoke up over the noise, "But… That means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

"Precisely! We will depart in several days. Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!"

Sunflora chimed in, "Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!" She was quickly followed by Bidoof, "Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition. I would surely love to go on this time!" Loudred spoke up over both of them, "Let's work at it and get picked as members!"

Chatot called out, "All right, everyone. It's back to work as usual."

"HOORAY!"

After everyone left, Chatot told us to carry on as usual, picking our own jobs to do.

"You bet, Chatot!" I was just really excited about the chance to get picked.

We headed up to the Mission Floor and I was thinking about how we could do the most missions.

_Let's see, we could take a buncha missions for one place like the Waterfall Cave or Mt. Bristle, but we should prob'ly focus on getting some extra help before we do that._

Rio tapped my shoulder and I looked at him. He said, "Meowth, don't we know those two over there?" I looked to where he was pointing and saw…

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" It was the two thugs that tried to swipe the Relic Fragment!

They turned and the Koffing said "You two?!"

"That's my line! Why are you two here?!"

Koffing recovered, saying, "Whoa-ho-ho! I'll have you know that we're an exploration team too." Zubat chuckled, "What's so funny about an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?"

Rio looked like somebody just told him the sky was orange, "You're an exploration team?!"

Koffing smirked, "That's right. Though the way we operate isn't always… by the book." He turned to me, "But what a surprise! Why would you be here?"

I bristled a bit, "We applied to be an exploration team! I can't believe I was nervous if they let guys like you be one! And now Rio and I are working hard to be picked for the guild's expedition!"

Koffing perked up, "Oh? An expedition, you say?" Zubat smirked and said, "Heh-heh. Well, effort only gets you so far. You won't get picked for the expedition party if you don't have talent, right? It all comes down to talent… pure talent!"

"You lugs are ones ta talk! You couldn't lay a single hit on us last time we fought!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us."

"Chief?"

"Heh-heh. That's right."

Continuing, Koffing said, "Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members."

"Our Chief is incredibly talented."

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

"Heh-heh. If the Chief were around, we'd snap you like a twig."

They both turned, "Whoa-ho-ho! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"

_Smell…?_

"Here's the Chief!"

A Skuntank came down the ladder and the instant he moved up to Rio he said, "Move! Out of the way!" Then he sprayed a gas which had Rio reeling back to fall on the ground a few feet away.

Soon the entire Mission Floor was covered with a smell that made that Gloom's* smell seem like daisies dipped in honey. My not-nose felt like it was gonna fall off and die.

Skuntank walked up to me and looked down at me and said "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?!" Even though it made me wanna puke, I moved outta the way.

The three of them started talking with each other, and after Zubat murmured something, Skuntank said, "What? An expedition from this guild? That does sound tasty."

"Doesn't it?" Koffing said with a grin.

Skuntank started leaving, "Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting." Koffing and Zubat followed with a "Yeah!" _I know we'll be seeing their mugs again…_

As they left, Zubat turned and said, "Heh-heh, see you around, wimps."

Realizing that Rio was still on the ground, I rushed over to him, "Rio?! Rio, are ya still among the living? How many fingers do you see?"

Rio shook his head, "I'm fine Meowth. And was that a trick question? You don't have any fingers."

"Good; the smell didn't give you brain damage. But… I couldn't stand up to him. I'm sorry Rio, I really am a coward."

Rio put a hand on my shoulder, "C'mon Meowth, don't feel bad. I'm fine. Besides, that smell would've burned your whiskers off."

I gave a fake gasp, "Not the _whiskers!_" We both chuckled, but… "Thanks Rio, but the fact is that I still need ta iron out some of my issues. 'S not a problem; let's focus on our assignments."

We added some new jobs to our list and went to meet up with Siltram to pick the missions of the day. But on our way there, we saw a Wobbuffet and Wynaut drumming up some business at the crossroads.

Wynaut spoke up first, "Oh! A customer, is it not?" They walked up to us as he went on, "Good day, is it not?" This sent up a red flag for me. _What's this guy's shtick? Nobody talks about the weather anymore. And who's said "is it not" in the last 500 years?_

"The new shop, Spinda's Café, is now open! This wonderful shop is overflowing with hopes and dreams, is it not?"

Rio tilted his head, "Hopes and dreams?" To this the Wobbuffet saluted before saying, "That's right!" Wynaut pointed to the stairs near the crossroad.

I looked at Rio, "Well Rio, whatever this place is, wanna check it out?" Rio just shrugged his shoulders and we walked down.

We found a very large room decorated with swirls on the floor. It had a juice bar, tables, and a booth for prize tickets. Soon after we walked in, a Spinda greeted us and gave a very dramatic act explaining the café.

After he was done, I said, "This is a really cool place! I'm sure it'll be nice ta hang out here."

Spinda clapped his hands together, "Thank you very much! It is my goal to have a café of hopes and dreams, where many explorers can gather. I hope to see you again soon here at Spinda's Café."

When we turned to leave, I had noticed that Siltram had found his way to one of the tables and was drinking an apple juice with two other glasses on the table. When he saw us, he waved us over.

We took a seat at the table, me setting down the Treasure Bag, and he put down the half-drunk glass. "Hey, guys. I noticed the ruckus after I got to the crossroads. I poked around and found you two here, so I got a drink while I waited for you guys to finish. I got drinks for you too." Rio and I took our drinks and an idea came to me.

"Hey, Rio, Siltram. There are plenty of tables in this café. How 'bout we make this one our briefing spot? We can pick the day's missions over a drink; 'specially when we start finding some gummis." Both of them nodded over their apple juice. "Alright! So let's get down to bus'ness. Now, we have a buncha missions for Mt. Bristle, but we'll need to work out some teamwork first."

I laid out a wanted poster of Doduo. "This character's known as the Beige Bandit. He's responsible for 5 thefts and has gotten away from 3 different exploration teams 'cuz of his speed. The mission is to catch him and get him to return the stolen items. Any ideas?"

Rio crossed his arms, "Well he'll probably try to run away if we fight him straight on… we need to either box him in or set a trap."

"Good ideas Rio, but we don't have enough ta box him in, unless we lead him into a dead end. But that would require good luck, which, from my experience, isn't too reliable."

Siltram spoke up, "I liked the idea of a trap. If he wants to escape, he'll need to get to the stairs. I could hide out in a crack. You two just have to rough him up to get him to run to the stairs. If you catch him, good; but if not then there's me to gunk up his escape."

Rio nodded, "Great idea, Siltram! But… when we do catch him how are we supposed to get him to talk?" I mulled it over for a few moments before looking at Siltram and I couldn't help the sneaky grin that I pulled.

"Poké for your thoughts?" I looked at Rio and said, "Don't go stealing my lines; let's head out. I'll tell ya the plan on the way."

**-4 hours later-**

_Alright! The plan went without a hitch! Now that we got Siltram's style down, we can know how to co-operate and… and…_

"AACHOO!"

_Boy, I think we oughta take a break from these water-type caves… Don't wanna catch a cold._

*Pokémon episode 26: "Pokémon Scent-Sation!"

* * *

**Sorry to give you all an "interim" chapter after such a long wait, but it's where I am… But don't worry! Anybody who's played this game knows that it's about to get juicy!**


	16. Chapter 10: Preparing For Trouble

**Here I am again! Now for another chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Preparing For Trouble…

After that little trip to the Waterfall Cave, I decided that I must be catching a cold. The day after that, I kept sneezing while we were doing our missions on Mt. Bristle. One of the guys who posted a mission request offered to join our team. After some thought, we agreed.

Machop, nicknamed Hogan. A little full of himself and slower than Rio, but he has brute strength and Low Kick. Claims he can lift a Golem by himself (I'll believe it when I see it).

Something seemed off, though. I KNOW that Skuntank and his goon squad are up ta something, but we haven't seen hide or tail of them since that last run-in. Since Siltram lives just outside of town, I asked him to keep an eye out for them, but to stay outta sight if he sees them.

Nothing I had thought of coulda prepared me for what happened…

After our morning cheers, Chatot had something extra to say. "Let me introduce our new allies."

Everyone was confused and they were talking about who they could be. After I put two and two together, I felt sick to my stomach. _Oh, please, no…_

Sure enough, that terribly familiar scent came down the ladder and had everyone complaining. Soon, Team Skull made its way into the room.

Chatot continued, "These three are our new partners." The three goons introduced themselves, acting polite, but I knew it was all an act. _They're not even in disguise! How can Chatot not know about them?!_

"I'm Skuntank. Remember it." Then he turned to us, "Especially you two. Chaw-haw-haw!"

I glared back and Chatot looked between us, "What, you're already acquainted? That simplifies things." He turned back to everybody else, "These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining our expedition to lend us their assistance." I wanted to speak up, but it wouldn't do any good. _Rio and I are still the bottom of the barrel; Chatot won't listen to us._

"Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition. However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together right away. Therefore, we've decided that the trio should live with us for several days." _Several days?! It's bad enough that they're going on the expedition! _"Though it will only be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality."

Loudred whispered to Sunflora, "Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? Literally?" She whispered back, "How can the Guildmaster stand this?" Bidoof, who was next to both of them, whispered, "I sure hope this expedition ends soon! Yup yup!"

Chatot, not sensing the hate, continued, "All right, everyone. Let's get down to work."

Rio and I didn't even try, but everyone else threw in a half-hearted "Hooray…"

Chatot looked around, "What's this? Where's your usual spirit?" Loudred yelled, "You gotta be KIDDING! This STINKS! How do you expect us to be cheerful when…" Suddenly, the room started shaking. "WH-WHAT?" Everybody was doing their best to keep their balance.

Wigglytuff had started to murmur, "YOOM… YOOOOOOM…"

Chatot panicked, "No! The Guildmaster… His rage is building! If the Guildmaster gets angry, it will be horrific!" He turned back to us, "Everyone! Come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts! All right, everyone. Let's get down to today's work."

"HOORAY!"

Then the earthquake stopped and everyone shuffled off to their posts a little nervous about what happened. Skuntank turned to us and said with a snicker, "Chaw-haw-haw! Glad to have met you." Then he left with Zubat and Koffing following.

Chatot noticed that we hadn't gone anywhere and gave us the assignment to pick our own jobs again. I pulled Rio aside and whispered, "Rio, I know that they probably have a big plan involving the expedition, but they're probably going to do everything that they can to make us look bad. I think, before we go on today's missions, we might wanna ring up Hogan and Siltram and hit the dojo."

"Why? I think that we're strong enough to deal with them," Rio whispered back.

"Listen; we're strong enough, assuming they're going to fight fair, which they're not. We need a plan. And we needed to train up Hogan anyway, no matter how strong he claims to be. I know about these kinda things; just trust me. I'll think of somethin'. But for now, I think we're safe. They'll wanna wait for us to get something important and then make us screw it up. Let's just act natural."

We picked out a mission for the Waterfall Cave, and decided to save up missions for that place, since we were going to be at the dojo for a while. Then we asked Chimecho to call up Hogan since Siltram was already on active duty. After we met up with them, all four of us headed off to Marowak Dojo.

**-30 minutes later (10 min. + 20 hours Maze Standard Time)-**

_Yeesh, thank goodness for Oran Berries. Else we'd be too tired to do any missions after such a huge workout…_

For a change of pace, we decided to try out the Dragon Maze. It actually wasn't that bad, just Bagon everywhere. They got stronger as we went down, so we were knocked out a few times before we found a pace where we ALMOST got killed. Each time, after a training session, we'd take turns running (or slithering, in Siltram's case) to the Mission Floor of the guild to check for new missions to Waterfall Cave.

During our training, we all learned new moves. Rio learned Reversal and Feint, which makes him our gatecrasher for Protect-spammers. I learned Screech, which I cannot think up a use for… Siltram learned Minimize and Disable, and Hogan learned Focus Energy and Karate Chop; all useful moves. Rio was really worrying me with how much he used Endure to keep fighting, but I guess that's his trump on Hogan. We decided to call it a day at the dojo after we finally beat the Dragon Maze. Only took about 6 tries…

Now, we were all drinking some OJ (Oran Juice) to recover while we discussed the missions. While we were training, we managed to gather five missions to Waterfall Cave. We discussed how to best approach them, since there were three outlaw cases rolled into this, one of them having "unconfirmed identity". We all agreed that we should have Hogan guard the staircase in case the outlaw decides to try escaping. Siltram could patrol on his own, since he could use Minimize to stay outta sight, and use Disable on the outlaw to give us time to get there after he gives us the signal, a sharp whistle. Rio and I decided to stick together while we patrolled, so we could be ready for a call from either Siltram or Hogan.

With the plan in mind, we set out for Waterfall Cave.

**-That evening-**

Rio was over the moon, since we got promoted to Silver Rank after those missions. "This will definitely help us get chosen for the expedition, won't it Meowth?"

"Yeah, it will." I was still thinking about how to take on Team Skull if we needed to. _Koffing's Smokescreen isn't a problem; the major problem is Skuntank. He just seems too strong. Heck, his smell alone knocked Rio out cold… Wait, his smell?_

I looked up, "Hey, Rio, when we first met Skuntank, he didn't actually fight you, right? Just used his spray to knock you out?" Rio nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, couldn't ya just have held your breath?"

"It kind of caught me off-guard."

"But Skuntank didn't actually _fight _you, just used his stench…"

Rio tilted his head, "What exactly are you getting at, Meowth?"

"What I'm sayin' is that I don't think Skuntank is as 'brutally tough' as his two goons claim he is. Not to say that fighting him will be easy, but I think he hasn't actually fought in a while. He just seems ta use his smell as a knock-out gas all the time. I think if we figure out a way ta block his smell, then we can even the score. I don't know how yet, but I'll have an idea by tomorrow. I always get my best ideas at night."

**-The next morning-**

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

_Arrrrgh… ya think he could just shake us awake? It wouldn't give us a morning headache to look forward to…_

I had spent half of the night sitting in my bed trying to think of a plan that'd work. I did every habit that helped me think: drumming my claws on my knee, staring at the moon, polishing my charm (I lost my wax, but I could still give it a spit-shine), even counting the hairs on my paw (James's idea from a few months back).

After I figured it out, I snuck out of the guild and ran back to my old home at Sharpedo Bluff. My plan was a little simple, but a wise guy once said that simple solutions were best. I was just glad that I had enough for all four of us. After I stored them in my belt pocket, I walked back to the guild and crashed onto my bed.

I was rubbing my eyes during our morning cheers, but perked up when Chatot called us over. He looked like he was about to give the most important job of all.

"Your task today is to obtain stock to replenish the larder."

Rio spoke up, "You mean, go get some food?"

"Correct. We inspected the larder this morning. For some mysterious reason, the guild's food stock has dropped sharply all of a sudden." He shook as he went on, "Furthermore, our entire stock of Perfect Apples has disappeared. That was the only item to get completely cleaned out."

I raised an eyebrow, "Perfect Apples? Ya mean the kind that aren't too sweet or too sour?"

"They're very big and very delicious apples. But more than that, they are the Guildmaster's favorite food! If there were no Perfect Apples, the Guildmaster would, um… The Guildmaster w-w-would…"

_Yeesh, if he's this scared from thinkin' 'bout it, I'm not sure I wanna know._

He suddenly got very dodgy and just quivered a bit before going on, "Yes, that's what would happen. That's why I'm begging you two to get some Perfect Apples."

Rio told me, "Did you hear what he said? It'll bug me if I don't know."

I whispered, "Something tells me that if we ever, ever, EVER have to find out, we shouldn't be in the line of sight." Then I said to Chatot, "Sure, we got this. Where do we head?"

Chatot grinned, "Good! Perfect Apples can be found deep in Apple Woods. Now, listen, this may seem like a simple errand, but it's a crucial job. After all, this is about the Guildmaster's… So please don't fail!"

Both of us gave an "OK!" and started walking off. Outta the corner of my eye, I saw Team Skull watching us as we left.

_Yeah, I'll take three guesses at who it was that ate all the Perfect Apples…_

* * *

**Sorry that this took a little longer than usual (4 days instead of 3), but this is the first chapter where I'm using fanfiction powers to alter the events of the game a little bit. It involves more thinking on the events that take place and how they will effect later occurrences. There will be more of it next chapter, I will try to upload it ASAP.**


	17. Chapter 11: Operation Skull Bash!

Chapter 11: Operation Skull Bash!

We had stopped at Kangaskhan Storage to pick up some items: a coupla Reviver Seeds, extra Apples, and some gear that we got from past missions. Rio gave the Viridian Bow to Siltram for the Pecha Scarf and Hogan got a Power Band; I kept the Defense Scarf. We stopped by the well to write what happened so far. I wrote a few words that shouldn't be repeated about Team Skull. Eh, 's not like anybody else is ever gonna read it.

After that, we left for Apple Woods. On the way, I told the details of my plan, making sure to whisper. We got to the entrance after about a half hour of walking and after a brief nod between the four of us, we walked in.

After walking through this place, I gotta say it reminds me of Viridian Forest. The trees all look the same, it's full of bugs, and it's REALLY easy to get lost. It took 2 or 3 hours of hitting dead ends and walking through loops before we got to the end.

And honestly, all of the effects were getting annoying; slowed, paralyzed, poisoned, asleep, why can't these Pokémon just fight? None of them really caught our interest as recruits, 'cept maybe Combee, but it'd hafta be a girl. And we don't have that kinda time to search for one.

When we reached the deepest part of Apple Woods, we saw a giant tree in the middle of a clearing that had Perfect Apples growing on it. _Holy moley! Those things are bigger than my head!_

We walked up and I said, "Well, here we are everybody. Now let's pick some Perfect Apples and go home."

"Chaw-haw-haw!"

"Oh my, who could that be?" I said in a really flat voice.

Sure enough, Team Skull dropped down from the tree in front of us. I just continued in the same tone, "Oh no! I _never _saw this coming!"

Skuntank didn't catch on, "Chaw-haw-haw! Team Skull at your service!" Zubat went on, "Heh-heh. Hey, it's wimpy and company. What took you so long?" Koffing smacked his lips, "We've been having us a picnic of Perfect Apples while waiting for you to show. What took you so long?"

_Hmph, they're just trying to get us angry._

"Ignore them Rio, there are still Perfect Apples on the tree."

"Chaw-haw-haw. Ignore us? That's very rude of you! Why I was even going to offer my help for your mission."

Rio scowled, "That's a laugh coming from you guys. Whatever 'help' you've got, we don't want it!"

Skuntank scowled, "Hm, you're no fun at all, you know that? If it's a fight you want, we'll take you on fair and square. Chaw-haw-haw!" He and Koffing lined up and moved forward while Zubat fluttered back.

_This is it! They're gonna try a gas attack!_

"Get ready," I whispered to Rio and the others.

"Chaw-haw-haw! Let's see if you can withstand this attack. Koffing and I will use our… noxious gas combo!" Koffing and Skuntank sprayed a gas at the same time.

"NOW!"

We scattered and went straight through the gas and split up to take on Team Skull.

***Flashback***

**_"So this is the plan. I remembered that I always kept some extra fabric at my old place, so I made some nose plugs for everybody." I handed a pair to each of them and we wedged them into our nostrils._**

**_"Alright, team, this'll even the score, but it won't be a guarantee. You all will still hafta fight your hardest. So here's how we take them on. I got Zubat, since Rio and Hogan are fighting types and Siltram is too slow." They all nodded._**

**_"Siltram, you've got Koffing since his Poison Gas and Sludge attacks won't affect you." Siltram grinned and said, "Don't worry; I have a good idea of how to take him out."_**

**_"Rio and Hogan, I'm couting on you to take on Skuntank. You don't hafta beat him; just keep him busy until his teammates are down so they can't regroup. If Siltram or I finish before you, we'll come and help." Hogan cracked his knuckles with a grin and Rio nodded._**

**_"Alright, there's Apple Woods up ahead."_**

Before Team Skull had time to say "what" Siltram jumped and latched onto Koffing, slithering around before using Minimize and going into one of the holes. I jumped and bounced offa Skuntank's head, going right to Zubat. He dodged my first Scratch, but I kept after him using Fury Swipes to keep him on his toes.

**-Rio's POV-**

After Meowth jumped on Skuntank's head, it gave us an opening to start our attack. Siltram got Koffing out of the way, now we needed to make sure Skuntank didn't intervene. I used Quick Attack to push Skuntank back a bit, and to give Hogan time to move forward.

Skuntank growled, "How?! That move should've knocked you out cold!"

I smirked, "How is not your concern. Just know that you're getting the 'fair and square' fight you wanted." Then Hogan sent him spinning with a Karate Chop.

I looked at him, "You ready, Hogan?"

He grinned, "I was _born_ ready to kick ass!"

We rushed forward to continue the fight.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Well, I'll give him one thing, he's gotten smarter._

I couldn't seem ta land a hit on Zubat, and it was really starting to get annoying. And that annoying screeching was getting on my nerves.

_Wait, Zubat are blind, so they need to screech to see… Ah…_

I used Screech and it overpowered Zubat's. He fell to the ground trying to cover his ears wit' his wings. I ran up, and used Fury Swipes to finish him.

With Zubat knocked out, I looked around and saw that Koffing was knocked out too. Siltram was oozing back out of one of the holes in his body.

_I almost feel sorry for Koffing. I mean, I'm no doctor, but I think that sumpin' like that can't be good for him._

I looked and saw that Rio and Hogan were having a hard time with Skuntank. Hogan was outta breath and Rio had already activated Endure. With a red wispy aura around him, he kept on fighting against Skuntank.

I ran over and gave an Oran Berry to Hogan. He took it and said, "What is he doing? He's taking such a beating, but he just keeps using Endure. I mean, I respect determination, but how is that helping?"

I looked closer to Rio, and saw that he was smirking. Siltram slithered over as I realized what was going on.

_Oh no… If he triggers that now…_

"Chaw-haw-haw! This is pathetic! Even in a straight fight, you wimps still can't take me! I'll finish you off now." Rio just chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

Rio was swaying back and forth, "Sorry, looks like I'm on my last legs. All I have left to do is this." His red aura faded to be replaced with a jagged purple one.

I dove and dragged Hogan to the ground, "HIT THE DECK!" Siltram turned into a puddle.

"REVERSAL!"

There was a huge shock wave as Rio released a burst of energy aimed at Skuntank. I kept my head down until it passed and looked up. Skuntank was slammed against the tree and Rio just stood there until his legs trembled and he sat down.

I dashed up to Rio, "Did you hafta be so dramatic?" I handed him an Oran Berry. As he took it, he said, "Nothing else was working, he just took everything. So I had to get weak enough to take him down in one hit." Then there was a gust of wind and Team Skull vanished; kicked out of the dungeon like every other fainted team.

I looked up into the tree, "Well, that's that. Looks like there are still a few Perfect Apples left. Gimme a hand here, Hogan. Rio, you eat that berry and rest." Hogan and I climbed up the tree and we picked all the Perfect Apples that were left. Only six. I put three in the Treasure Bag and carried one in my arms, Hogan carried two, and Siltram carried Rio as we walked back to Treasure Town.

Halfway up the stairs to the guild, Rio insisted that he walk the rest of the way. I took back the nose plugs and put them back in my pocket. Siltram and Hogan followed us into the guild and when we reported to Chatot, Hogan put down the Perfect Apples and they both nodded before leaving to go to their homes for the night.

Chatot looked at what we brought, "Odd. There are usually more growing this time of year…"

I thought about how ta continue, "Well, sorry, but this is all we found when we got to the tree."

"Well, I suppose that it cannot be helped. Regardless, this will definitely be enough for the Guildmaster for now. I'm willing to mark this one as a partial success. I'll simply have to make a trip to Apple Woods myself to stock up for the expedition."

"Alright, if ya don't mind, Rio and I are gonna go to Spinda Café for a drink before dinner."

"Very well, you two are dismissed."

The whole way up to the entrance of the guild, I could _feel_ Rio wanting to ask me why, so after a short look around to make sure we were alone, I turned to him.

"I can tell what you wanna ask."

Rio crossed his arms, "Why didn't you tell Chatot that it was Team Skull who ate all the Perfect Apples, were the reason there were so few, and tried to stop us from getting them?"

"Believe me, I wanted to. But they got kicked out of the dungeon and warped straight here. They had over half an hour to make up an alibi. I'm sure that they made one up and told Chatot. If we told Chatot, then he woulda brought up what Team Skull said and it woulda made _us_ look suspicious, 'specially if we kept trying to convince him. The thing about them is we can't just out-muscle them, we need to be one step ahead of them. Avoid all of the tricks they have. Good thing that I know how they think. I still don't get the whole 'time' thing, but I think I've been in the business way longer than them."

Rio paused like he was thinking about it, "… Alright, but I don't like that they get off scot-free."

"Hey cheer up, Rio! At least we got to lay the smack-down on 'em!"

He grinned, "Yeah, we did, didn't we."

"Now how about we catch up with the others before they leave and knock back a drink for walloping Team Skull?"

"Sounds good!"

We caught up with the others as they were leaving town and we each made our favorite gummi smoothie to celebrate.

* * *

**The absolute ONLY reason that I wrote the chapter like this is that I ****_hated_**** how you never fight Team Skull in the game. It seems like such a cop-out to me, so I wrote this. I like to think that I made it make sense, given that Meowth is there to help. This is my first time using my fanfiction powers in such a big way. Let me know how I did, please.**


	18. Interlude: Pt 2

**Still working on the next chapter, so here's another interlude.**

* * *

A Question of Worth

**-Jessie's POV-**

_Hmph, stupid people! Stupid job! Stupid Meowth!_

I can't believe that I, the beautiful Jessie, had to stoop to taking a job as a waitress! A big city like this and there wasn't a single job for a lovely and plucky reporter. Still… I suppose it's turning a better profit than we ever did trying to catch Pikachu. _I guess the only real consolation is that James hasn't seen me in such a lowly state._

*ring*

_Oh, another customer. _"Welcome to-" I turned and saw that it was James, in disguise wearing his robe. I just stared, unable to process that he was actually here.

He dashed forward to the counter and spoke in a hurried whisper, "Jessie, I-"

"How did you find me here?!" I couldn't help it. I had been sure to never mention where I was actually working when we rendezvoused. He shrugged his shoulders, "I just asked about the woman with the flowing magenta hair. It is your trademark after all."

Then he got serious, "Listen, Jessie. I have something of the utmost importance to tell you."

I scowled, "What could possibly be so important that it couldn't wait two more days?"

"It's about Meowth."

_… I thought that we dropped that subject already._

"Fine, but I don't get off work for another 3 hours. If you're not going to order something, get out."

He took a seat, "Then I'll have a coffee, if you please."

**-3 Hours later-**

After changing back into my usual dress, I punched out and left out the front door. James was waiting outside and we left to the outskirts of the city. After looking around, I spoke. "So what update could you possibly have involving Meowth? The trail went cold ages ago."

His face lit up, "The information that I have is the reason _why _the trail went cold. Yesterday, I was selling my wares in a village not too far from here. After I had gone to sleep for the night, I had a vision. You see, I had made a wish to see if Meowth was happy, and it came true; and he is happy. I saw him and he was on a team, but not an evil one, he works _with _Pokémon now. He's a good guy now!"

"AND HOW IS THIS _GOOD_ NEWS?!"

James was shocked, but I continued. "If he's a good guy now, that means he's just further gone than we thought! Where is he?! Could you tell where?! I want to find him more than ever and wring his little-"

"He's out of our hands now, Jessie."

I looked at James and he had a steely look in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. "Jessie, he's gone to start anew; lead a different life. He's grown up and I, for one, am proud of him."

_PROUD of him?! _"Let me get this straight, James. You're _proud _that Meowth betrayed-"

His face hardened, "It's _not_ a matter of betrayal!"

Now it was my turn to be shocked. _Since when did James have a spine?_

"Jessie, did I ever tell you why I left my home?" I scoffed, "Everyone knows that you left because you didn't want to marry that shrew, Jessiebelle."

He nodded, "Indeed, but that wasn't the only reason. That was merely a bonus. The main reason that I left is that I was angry that my parents had tried to decide my future for me. They were never truly there for me, just acted through the servants, yet they expected me to just play along with their expectations. It infuriated me to no end, so I decided that I would leave all of the luxuries that I had for the one privilege of deciding my own path."

He spoke as if it was the most important decision that he had ever made, but I couldn't help but gawk at the stupidity. _He left all of those riches behind for MORALS?_

I closed my eyes and tried to level my temper, "James, up to this point I feel that I've been very understanding, but now I'm confused. Why did you leave if the only problem was your parents making your decisions for you?"

He glared, "It had EVERYTHING to do with it! Meowth confided in me the reason that he joined Team Rocket, and it was the same reason that I did. It was a matter of self-worth!"

I raised an eyebrow. _Self-worth…?_

He continued, clueless to my silence, "Both Meowth and I had believed that we were worth more than what those around us believed! I am more than a puppet to my parents' expectations and he believed that he was more than a common stray, as his heart-breaker said! From that letter, I understood more than anybody what he was saying. He decided that the path he had chosen was not the one he wanted to be his last. He left us because he wanted to find what would make him happy, and he truly believed that we would be better off without him. After all, we were the only reasons that he kept coming back."

"Well what does that prove, aside from the fact that he was being selfish?"

"…Jessie. I gave it some thought and… I wish to resign from Team Rocket as well. Meowth's action to seek something more worthwhile has inspired me, and I will not be swayed. And-"

"WHAT?! You too?! You're leaving the team, so-"

"You didn't let me finish! And I want you to quit with me."

I couldn't believe it! So much for loyalty! "James, we have nothing without the Boss!"

He scowled; an expression that looked odd on his face. "What do we owe that man?! Jessie, think for a second on where this path has led us. We're pulling jobs just to make ends meet, and it's more financial support than we _ever_ got from Team Rocket! Yet we waste it all trying to catch _one_ Pokémon. The only reason that Giovanni allowed us to come here to the Sinnoh Region is that he wanted us out of the way. Face it, Jessie; it's been a downward spiral ever since the St. Anne. Perhaps we held his favor at one point, but no longer. In short, we have nothing _with_ Team Rocket. Meowth discovered that and found that he was worth more than Team Rocket made him to be. I've discovered that too, and if you're worth half of what you say, you should agree with me as well."

I was speechless, because there was nothing I could say to argue against him. _He has a point… He's right… I mean, if I'm worth more than a job like waiting tables, then I'm certainly worth a job with Team Rocket that gives me nothing._

"Alright, James. I'll humor your little assertion. But since this was _your_ idea, _you _decide where we go from here." His eyes widened and as he thought about it, he returned to his stuttering self.

After thinking about it for half a minute, he said, "Well, I can carry my crafts with me and take my sales on the road, but you need a town to work in since it's not enough to support the both of us. I suppose if we wait a few days and stockpile our food, then it can get us by until we find a different town where you can get a different job. I suppose that we just carry on until we save enough money to find a more permanent setting. We have the hot air balloon, but we would risk being seen by the twerps. I think that we should sell it and travel on foot; it seems to work for everyone else."

"Travelling on foot. I like this already."

"Don't get all sarcastic on me. It'll get better; I know it."

_Well, he may like the idea, but I'll hold off on sending the resignation letter, just in case._

* * *

**So sorry that this took so long! My family has been keeping me busy for the past couple of days, so I haven't had time to write. Again, sorry!**


	19. Chapter 12: The Big Day

Chapter 12: The Big Day

After waking up the next day, we reported for the morning briefing. Again, Chatot had something else to say after the morning cheers.

"Tomorrow or the day after, or perhaps in several days' time… We plan to announce the members of the expedition party."

We all cheered, but I could see Team Skull sneaking glares at me and Rio. _They're probably plotting what to do if we get picked for the expedition… We better be ready._

"Everyone, this is your last chance to make an impression. Work hard and impress us if you want to be chosen. All right, everyone. Let's get down to work as usual."

"HOORAY!"

After everyone left, "Ah, you two. Just carry on doing listed jobs today. We're counting on you."

We both nodded and said, "Okay."

Before we left, Croagunk called us over. We walked over to his booth and he told us that his Swap Shop was open again. When we asked what it was, he explained about rare items and how he puts them in his "Swap Cauldron" to switch them with items that other Pokémon are offering. It sounded interesting, but we didn't have any rare items for trading right now, so we told him that we'd keep it in mind.

As if that weren't enough we also heard about an announcement from Spinda Café about "Project P". Apparently, the café used the items that were recycled to search for new dungeons. When they discovered one, they let everyone in the café know and they can find new things, then they can take anything they don't want to the recycle shop; rinse and repeat.

After we met up with Siltram and Hogan, we decided to go on more missions to Waterfall Cave.

**-Two days later-**

Over the last few days, we've been training up and doing as many missions as we could, ta make a name for ourselves. Hogan learned Seismic Toss and Siltram learned Sludge while we were in the field. Just a minute ago, at dinner, Chatot said that the members of the expedition party were going to be announced in tomorrow's briefing. _I'm sure that we got a good chance, but everybody else has seniority. I guess I can only hope._

**-? POV-**

_Surely the guardian couldn't expect to fool me with its tricks. They were child's play…_

"There it is! Another Time Gear! This is the second one. I must have them…"

**-Meowth's POV-**

"Ahem! Now then, I shall announce the expedition members at this time." He turned to Wigglytuff. "Guildmaster, the memo, please." After Wigglytuff handed him a piece of paper, Chatot turned back to us and held the paper in his wings.

"The chosen members are written on this memo. Step forward if your name is called."

_This is it… Hit or miss… All or nothin'…_

Everybody started shifting nervously while Chatot started. "Without further ado, I will announce those who've been chosen. Our first member… Loudred!"

Loudred jumped up, "Y-yes! I DID IT!" As he walked up he said, "But if you really think about it, it's only NATURAL that I would get picked! WOO-HOOOO!" I heard Sunflora murmur "Says you…" before Chatot continued.

"Next up is… Corphish!"

Corphish cheered with a buncha "hey"s before letting out a sigh of relief and moving forward.

"Next is… Oh, what's this? Well this is a surprise! Our next member is Bidoof!"

Bidoof looked surprised. "Really?! Really and truly?! Golly… Me?! I'm going on the expedition?!" He started quivering. When Chatot asked him to step forward, he said that he couldn't seem to move from being overwhelmed.

"So be it. We'll ignore it and move on. Next we have Sunflora and Chimecho!" They both walked forward with a cheer. "Erm, yes… And there we have the expedition party members!"

_Haaah… Well, I guess it can't be helped. We tried our hardest. Guess we just carry on and hope we get on board the next one._

"So that's it for the expedition members… Erm… What's this…?" Chatot held the paper closer and tilted it sideways. Murmuring something about proper writing, he went on. "Erm… It appears that there are more expedition members. The others are… Diglett, Dugtrio, and Croagunk. Oh, and Meowth and Rio."

_Alright! We made it!_

"That is all. Wait a second! What?!" He turned to Wigglytuff. "Guildmaster! This list seems to include every member of the guild!"

Wigglytuff just grinned, "Yup! That's right!"

Chatot walked up and said, "Well then! It seems that the whole selection process was meaningless. Moreover, if we were to all go, we would be leaving the guild empty! Are you sure it will be alright to leave with no one to look after the guild?"

"It'll be fine. We'll lock up properly."

Skuntank walked up, "Guildmaster, I also have some misgivings. Do you think perhaps we may have too many members for an expedition?" _Why that…_

"Hmm… When a friend asks something like that, I have to wonder why…"

"I mean, first of all, why does everybody have to go? What's the point in having everyone participate?"

Wigglytuff grinned like the answer was clear as day, "Huh?! Of course there's a point! That is… If everyone went, it would be more fun!"

Skuntank's jaw dropped. _Hee Hee Hee, I wish that this world had cameras! That face is priceless!_

"We'll be noisy and excited and having fun! I started thinking about it and it made me so excited, I couldn't sleep!" He turned to us, "So that's how it is, everyone! We're all going on the expedition, and it will be fun, fun, fun! Let's all do our best!"

"HOORAY!"

Once things quieted down, Chatot said, "Urrgh… Well, that's settled. Fine. Let me explain the schedule. Right after this, I will hold a briefing on the expedition. As such, the chosen members (that is, everyone)… Each of you should get prepared to embark on the expedition. Let me remind you that this is a guild-exclusive expedition. You may not bring nonguild members of your teams. As such, you won't be able to add members at Chimecho Assembly. They simply aren't allowed to join the expedition. Keep that in mind while you are making preparations. When you are prepared for the upcoming journey, you should return here. Then inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"

After Wigglytuff left, Rio and I, along with the other apprentices gathered in a circle. Sunflora started, "I could scream, I'm so happy! Everyone is going on the expedition!" Chimecho chimed in, "Our Guildmaster has done it again. I'm so shocked, I'm tingling!"

I nodded, "I had my doubts, but I'm glad we're coming along for the ride!"

After a "Hey hey" from Corphish, Bidoof sniffled, "Sniff… By golly, I'm mighty happy that they're even letting me go on this here expedition… Oh, but not just me! Everyone gets to go… Sniff… It's like I'm dreaming. It's making me feel mighty emotional… Sob…"

Dugtrio looked over, "It's no dream. This is really happening. Anyway, since we are all going, it means that we're all going to be put to the test as well. That's why I would like to propose that all of us apprentices work as one. And let's make this expedition a success!"

Sunflora jumped, "Yippee! That's the spirit!" Loudred shouted, "Yeah! THAT'S the spirit!" Chimecho finished, "Let's do our best!" And we all let out a cheer.

After we packed up for the expedition and dismissed Siltram and Hogan, we met back up in the Briefing Area. After looking around to make sure everyone was here, Chatot started to talk.

"Let me explain about this expedition. First, the objective: exploration of Fogbound Lake. It is a lake that is said to be located far to the east. However, it is perpetually enshrouded by a dense fog. As such, its actual existence has never been confirmed… It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumor alone. It is also rumored… A treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there."

I was really excited, "Sweet! A treasure hunt! This is gonna be a blast!"

Wigglytuff laughed, "Yup! It will be fun, fun, fun!"

Chatot went on, "Everyone, open your Wonder Maps, please." Holding up his own, he pointed to a cloud-covered area on the map, near a forest. "First off, this is where Fogbound Lake is said to be. As an uncharted territory, the area is shown under a cloud cover." Then he drew a line to Treasure Town. "Our guild is here. As you can see, the lake is at a considerable distance from the guild. Therefore, we will encamp at the foot of the highlands here. That will serve as our base camp," He finished, pointing to the forest near the first spot he pointed to.

He rolled up the map and said, "If we were to travel all at once in a single group to the base camp, our mobility would be restricted. The strategy is to split up into several groups to travel to the base camp. I will announce those groups now. The first group is Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett, and Croagunk."

Loudred jumped up, "You guys! You'd better NOT hold me back!" Sunflora shouted back, "You should talk!"

Ignoring them, Chatot went on, "The next group is Dugtrio, Chimecho and Corphish."

Dugtrio straightened, "We're a solid group!" Chimecho said, "I promise to try my best!" while Corphish threw in, "Hey hey, likewise!"

"Erm… Let's see… The Guildmaster and I shall travel as a pair… That is acceptable, yes?"

Wigglytuff pouted, "Awwwww?! I have to go with Chatot?! That's so boooooring!"

Chatot groaned, "Please don't be difficult. This is a key element of our strategy."

"… Meanie."

Shaking it off, Chatot said, "Our guests, Team Skull, should travel independent of us as their own group."

"Understood. Chaw-haw-haw!" _Hmph… All the better for them to spy on others._

"And the final group is Meowth, Rio, and Bidoof."

Bidoof turned to us, "We're in the same group! I hope I can keep up. Yup yup!" I nodded, "Same to you, Bidoof."

"Well then… Everyone let's get to it and move out!"

"HOORAY!"

As we left, the two of us trailing behind, I whispered to Rio, "I got the nose plugs. We'll be safe while Bidoof is traveling with us now, but I'll keep 'em handy."

"Right," Rio whispered back.

* * *

**So! I'm glad that I managed to upload this chapter now, since I'll be visiting my relatives this weekend and I won't have time to write. I just want to thank you all for reading this far along. Especially you, Antex! See you all in a few days.**


	20. Chapter 13: The Mystery of Fogbound Lake

**Sorry for the longer-than-anticipated wait. First there was visiting my relatives, and then I had to turn in my battery to have it exchanged for a new one, and then there was Christmas to celebrate. Nonetheless, I'm back, ladies and germs! To make up for my absence, I'm making this chapter extra-long! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Mystery of Fogbound Lake

**-Rio's POV-**

After everyone split up, we took a look at the Wonder Map to decide our route to Foggy Forest. Eventually, we decided to stick to the coastline, which would line us up for a straight-shot through the mountain range to our destination.

We traveled without much event until we got to the coast itself. After a moment to admire the view and for Bidoof to explain about Kangaskhan Rocks, we double-checked the map to make sure we were at the right place.

"Alright, so this mountain is about halfway between here and the forest. We should prob'ly try getting there, for starters." He was pointing at a mountain in the range that was defined by a pointed peak.

When we both agreed, Meowth started looking at the entrance to a small cave on the cliff we were standing on. _Wow, Meowth is really "on the ball", as I've heard him say. Then again, he was pretty much the default planner on our own team._

"Hmm… Hey, Rio, Bidoof, come take a look at this." We both moved forward and Bidoof asked if there was a problem. Meowth turned around, "Well… yes and no. There are two paths here."

"Huh? Now, that is mighty vexing."

"Whaddya think, Rio? Which way should we go?" I moved forward and took a good look at the fork in the entrance. One seemed to be branching, while the other seemed more like the main path. So I pointed to the main one, "When in doubt, go straight."

"Good policy; let's move out, team!" Meowth led the way as we went in.

**-The next day-**

We made it through Craggy Coast without much trouble. _Note to self: tell Meowth "I told you so" for having the team go to that extra training session at Marowak Dojo before leaving. _After resting for the night, we went through Mt. Horn, again taking the straight path.

We found our first treasure chest. And after 2 whole minutes of Meowth trying to pry it open, Bidoof said that only Xatu can open it, back at Treasure Town. Meowth muttered something about "useless lock-pickin' claws" and put the box in the Treasure Bag. We also discovered the Hidden Bazaar. Apparently, it's up to complete and total chance on finding the place. Meowth even learned Faint Attack along the way.

Soon after we got to base camp, we were yelled at by Chatot, "You all are late! Everyone else arrived a long time ago! Go set your equipment down. Make haste! Now that everyone's assembled, let's get on with our strategy briefing."

As everyone started moving forward, I stayed back. Meowth noticed and turned around. "Hm? Whatsa matter, Rio?"

_…What's this weird sensation? I don't know why I'm feeling this way…I… Wait a second! I know this place! Have I been here before? Maybe. Does it have something to do with me? Before I lost my memory?_

Chatot came back and said, "Come on, come on! We haven't got all day!"

Meowth took my hand and said, "We'll talk later, let's shake a leg, Rio." Putting aside the odd feeling for now, we lined up at the end of the assembly, everyone facing Chatot.

"Erm… Attention, please. It appears everyone has arrived at our base camp safe and sound. We shall now proceed to the exploration of Fogbound Lake! As you can see, we are in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed… But so far, that has been nothing more than a rumor. Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenge, but so far the lake has eluded discovery."

Corphish chimed in, "Hey, hey! So is it really there or what?! This Fogbound Lake?" Sunflora turned to him, "Silly Corphish. You'll wreck the dream if you say something like that." Loudred added in, "Yeah, don't spoil things now!" Looking ashamed, Corphish murmured, "Hey, hey…"

Chimecho rose up a bit, "Um, may I?" Everybody turned to her and she continued, "Um, while we were traveling, I heard about a certain legend." Chatot leaned forward, "A legend, you say?"

"Yes. A legend about Fogbound Lake. According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokémon named Uxie. The Pokémon is said to be exceedingly rare. Uxie is said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

I was shocked to hear this. _What?! Wipe their memories clean?! And this weird déjà vu feeling I've had… Could that mean…?_

"That is why, even if travelers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake, Uxie would wipe their memories clean, thereby muzzling the travelers from revealing the existence of the lake. And that is how Uxie protects Fogbound Lake. I was told such a legend remains"

All of the other apprentices were unsettled. But Chatot cleared his throat to get our attention again. "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or a legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles when conducting successful explorations."

This raised morale and Wigglytuff chimed in, "Ha ha ha! Don't worry, everything will be alright! Let's believe in success for this adventure too, and… Let's try! Let's try!"

"Let's move on with our plan. The Guildmaster and I shall remain here to gather intelligence from our teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter it, visibility is severely restricted. We think that Fogbound Lake has defied discovery because of this fog. Perhaps there is a way of lifting this fog. Therefore, your search is twofold. One, search for Fogbound Lake. And two, find a way to lift the fog. If you accomplish either thing, return to base camp and tell me or the Guildmaster. That is all. All right, everyone. Let's give it our best, as always!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody broke into a buzz of conversation of how they would find the lake, and soon Diglett and Dugtrio burrowed underground to search. Soon after, everyone else left through the path into the forest. Team Skull lingered, but left after a bit.

Meowth tapped my shoulder. "We better get going too, Rio. But first…" He pulled out the nose plugs and handed me a pair. "We're all alone now, and there's fog everywhere. Those goons could attack us anywhere and blame it on the Pokémon of the forest. We better hustle and keep our ears open."

Holding the nose plugs, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I knew this place. _According to legend, the Pokémon Uxie can wipe clean the memories of others. Is it just a coincidence? It's possible that I came here before I lost my memory. I could've met Uxie and if he wiped my memory, then that would explain my amnesia._

"RIO!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts, "Huh? What?"

Meowth was raising an eyebrow, "Where's ya head at, bud? I know ya like ta drift off ta think, but this ain't really the time. I'm here if ya need ta talk, but let's get our supplies to explore Foggy Forest."

We moved and stored our extra items and treasure boxes in a compartment at the foot of the Kangaskhan Rock, and then the mouth opened dropping our Adventure Log and a feather. Meowth wrote in the pages and closed the book, which had grown to over a dozen pages. He put the book and feather back in the mouth and the mouth of the statue closed.

We looked down the entrance to the forest and decided to stick to the path, to see if we could find anything along it.

"Alright, Rio, let's rock n' roll!" Meowth went on ahead, but I stayed back, thinking about the feeling that I've been having.

_Maybe the keys to unlocking my memory are here… Fogbound Lake… I may find some answers if Fogbound Lake can be found._

"Huh? Hey, Rio! Check this out!"

A little further ahead, Meowth was holding a glimmering red stone. "Check out da shine on this baby! I found it right by the side of the path. You must have some kinda lucky instinct with pickin' directions, Rio!"

As I leaned in to look, my face felt warmer. "It seems to be giving off heat, what do you think it's made of?"

Meowth shrugged his shoulders, "Beats me, but I say finders keepers. Who knows? It might be something really rare." He tucked it into the side pocket of the Treasure Bag. "Now, from the top; let's rock n' roll!" Then we both charged down the path.

**-30 minutes later-**

We kept following the path, dealing with any Pokémon that we found along the way. Soon, the path started to widen, and we made it… back to base camp.

Meowth looked around, "Huh? Ain't this…"

Chatot walked up to us, "Welcome back! So how did it go? Have you anything to report?"

We both looked at each other, "Uh… No, nothing."

Chatot got angry, "Oh?! Nothing?! What is this?! You had my hopes up! Get going!"

Meowth turned to me, "Well, let's go back in, Rio…"

But I took a look around, "Wait… Where's Wigglytuff?" Meowth perked up and looked around too.

Chatot stood up straight, "The Guildmaster has… wandered off somewhere." His head bent down, "It's amazing, really, how little patience he has. I would imagine he's taking a stroll in the forest without a care in the world. I imagine he'll come back soon enough."

We put the items that we found in the Kangaskhan Rock, and then looked back at the entrance of the forest. I turned to Meowth, "What do we do? The only path just loops back here, and I don't see any other entrances." Meowth just looked around then readied his claws, which have gotten longer since I met him.

"If there ain't another entrance, then I'll make one. Paths won't help here; we gotta go straight into the forest."

He took a good look at the foliage surrounding the entrance and found a patch of skinny bushes. Using multiple scratch attacks, Meowth cut them down and continued into the forest, me following him. After a while, the fog grew thicker and the path he carved disappeared behind us, signaling that we were in the Foggy Forest itself. He just retracted his claws and turned to me.

"Whelp, we're in the forest, let's start lookin' around."

The Pokémon were tougher, but nothing we couldn't handle. As we moved forward, we found that the fog was even thicker than on the path. _Man, I can't see two feet in front of my nose! We'll be lucky to get out of here, much less find something important!_

The only plus was that, since I could sense emotions, I could sense where enemies were if I concentrated. After a while, Meowth's ears perked up, "Hey Rio, d'ya hear that?" I listened and when I really tried, I could hear the sound of running water.

Meowth turned to me with a grin, "If we found water, then that's a start. Let's check it out!"

We followed the sound and came into a clearing where tiny waterfalls were pouring into small river channels. I looked around and said, "Well we found water, but where are we, exactly? It's still so foggy that we can't even tell which way to go."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

We turned and Meowth said, "Hey, it's Corphish! Guess we weren't the only ones to cut our way into the forest." We moved forward and Corphish met us in a small spot between two channels.

"Hey, hey! You two find any clues?"

We both shook our heads. Meowth said, "How 'bout you, Corphish?"

He sighed, "I've got nothing here, either. Don't let it get you down. But… There is something here that's kind of interesting."

Meowth smiled, "Well, don't keep us in suspense, Corphish."

Corphish pointed behind himself, "Over there. Have a look for yourself."

We walked into the center of the waterfalls and there was a statue of a very large and intimidating… Pokémon?

"What is this?" I asked Corphish.

"I don't know. It seems to be a statue of a Pokémon."

"I know what it is." Corphish and I turned to Meowth. "'S a statue of a legendary Pokémon named Groudon."

I was surprised, but Corphish looked at Meowth like he'd grown a second head. Meowth grew nervous, "Uh, I just heard the name before. I've been around the block a coupla times; ya pick things up, heh heh." He finished with a nervous chuckle.

Corphish seemed convinced, but I knew Meowth wasn't telling the whole truth. _I can't exactly press him for details here… maybe later._

Meowth took a closer look at the base of the statue. As he walked around it, he found something on the right side. "There's sumpin' carved here in footprint runes. Gimme a minute… 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon… Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat… The path to treasure shall be revealed.' Alright! So if we figure out what this means, then we'll be on the right track for the treasure!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Y-you think so? Hey, hey! Now that's a mystery we've got to solve!"

"Well… Everything makes sense ta me, 'cept for the part about 'life that burned within Groudon.' We got a Groudon right here, but it's a statue; it was never alive. Hmm…"

_I'm stumped on this too, but maybe…_

"Oh! I got it!" Meowth turned to me, "Try touching this statue, Rio. Ya might just find a clue."

I nodded, "I was thinking the same thing, actually. If it might help find the path to Fogbound Lake then I'll give it a shot." _If the keys to my memory are there and the statue will open the path, then I HAVE to try…_

Meowth thanked me, while Corphish just looked confused. I walked up to the statue and put my hand on the base next to the inscription, closing my eyes.

"You gettin' anythin', Rio?"

I kept my eyes closed, "I've never tried to trigger one intentionally, just be patient."

Soon that all-too-familiar feeling was coming over me. The sound of the waterfalls around me seemed to lapse until it went silent and a blinding flash appeared before me. This time it was only a voice.

**_That's it! It's here! It's here!_**

I snapped back to reality, confused at the voice that I just heard. _Who was that?_

Then the feeling washed over me again. And everything faded again. _Another one? That never happened before…_

**_I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart. That lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!_**

The voice faded again, leaving me thoroughly baffled. _What did I just hear? That time it wasn't a vision, it was just a voice. But I have absolutely no idea who it was… It was so short that I couldn't get a sense of what it sounded like. Why is this bugging me so much?_

Meowth tapped my shoulder, "You alright, Rio? Did ya see something?"

_Well, I guess that I can worry about it later. What did that voice say? Think, think… Something about a Drought Stone and putting it in Groudon's heart… If we do that, then it'll lift the fog. Drought Stone… Droughts are hot… Wait! Could it possibly be that stone that Meowth picked up?_

I moved around the statue and found the front. _Let's see… There! There's a small hole in the statue's chest._

Meowth followed me, "Did you find out what we need ta do?"

I told him about what the voice said and about my plan. "Ya want me ta put the stone that I found on the path in that hole." He pulled the stone out of the Treasure Bag. "Wow. Dat means that this is the second important rock I found by total chance. Alright, I'll do it. (Shame I couldn't keep it.)" He climbed up the statue and held onto one of the arms as he fitted the stone into the hole.

He jumped down and, for a second, nothing happened. Then the statue's eyes gleamed red, and the ground started to shake.

"W-w-whoa-a-a! E-e-everyone g-get back!" We all dashed out of the central area as the entire statue flared white.

After the light cleared, everything was clear.

"Hey, hey! The fog is gone!"

I heard Meowth yelp and looked to see him staring up. I followed his gaze and saw an unbelievable sight.

Corphish looked where we were and said, "Hey, hey! What is that?!"

Meowth seemed to be thinking out loud, "So _that's_ how Fogbound Lake stayed hidden for so long. I gotta say, without the fog, it sticks out like a sore thumb."

He was right about that. There was a giant plateau mounted on a tall, thin spire. The lake on top was the source of the tiny waterfalls.

"Hey, hey! So you're saying… You're saying that Fogbound Lake is up there? Hey, hey, hey?!"

"'S what I'm saying. It has to be."

* * *

** This is probably the only adequate stopping point that I can find, so I'm ending this chapter here. See you all next time!**


	21. Chapter 14: Climbing to Memory Lane

Chapter 14: Climbing to Memory Lane

** -Meowth's POV-**

"Hey, hey! This is no time to be gawking!" Rio and I turned to Corphish. "I'll let everyone in the guild know! You two go on ahead!" Then Corphish ran out of the area.

I turned to Rio, "You heard the man, Rio! Let's move out! That lake ain't gonna explore itself!"

We started to move, when a voice yelled, "Hold it!" Suddenly, Team Skull came in from behind one of the waterfalls.

I glared and we both said, "You goons/brutes again?!" _I'd like ta say I'm surprised, but I'd be lyin'._

"Good job! Chaw-haw-haw!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! You solved the mystery. You're no longer of use to us!"

"Heh-heh-heh. We'll swipe the treasure, thanks to you!"

I readied my claws and Rio crouched into a fighting position, "Ha! I saw this coming since you showed your ugly mugs at the guild as 'allies'! Why don'tcha give up, before ya get hurt?"

Rio leaned forward, ready ta dash, "Yeah, you couldn't beat us before, and we've only gotten stronger! Don't you ever learn?"

Skuntank glared "You got lucky. And there won't be a fight this time. You're not going to lift a finger to stop us!" Skuntank held up a yellow orb with zigzags on it. _Crap! Dat's a Petrify Orb!_

But before Skuntank could throw it to the ground, we heard, "Waah! Wait! Wait for me!" and a Perfect Apple rolled into view.

While we were stunned, I noticed that Rio was halfway to Skuntank, with skid marks behind his feet from stopping. _He prob'ly used Quick Attack ta try an' get ta Skuntank. _

He looked to the left and quickly jumped back to my side. He whispered, "I don't know if this is bad or perfect timing."

"Perfect Apple! Perfect Apple!" Wigglytuff skipped into the clearing and picked up the Perfect Apple. "I finally caught you! My Perfect Apple! If my Perfect Apple went away, I would… I would… Sniffle…" He shook a bit, but pulled himself together and looked around. "Oh? Oh-oh?" Then he turned to us, "Oh, you two!" He turned to Team Skull, "And my friends too! Everyone's all together! Yay, yay!"

Skuntank had already pocketed the orb, "G-Guildmaster… Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Huh? What am I doing? I was taking a walk in the forest. Then my Perfect Apple went rolling and rolling away from me. So I ran and ran and ran, and here I am. Oh, yes!" He turned back to us, "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you?"

We both said, "Huh?" and Wigglytuff continued, "You two have a job, don't you? To explore the forest, right? Go on then, off you go."

Rio opened his mouth, but I saw the opportunity and spoke first, with a smile. "Sure thing, Guildmaster; we were just stopping ta have a chat wit' ya friends over there. In fact, they said dat they'd like ta get to know ya better. Dat's what friends do, right? They learn about each otha. Right, Rio?" I looked at Rio in the eye to try an' pass my message.

Rio's eyes lit up, "Yes, of course, Meowth. Team Skull said they'd like to learn everything about you, Guildmaster."

Wigglytuff bounced up and down, "That sounds like fun! Fun, fun, fun!"

I grinned and said, "Well, we'll be on our way now. C'mon, Rio." And I led him out of the clearing at a relaxed pace. While we were leaving, I saw Team Skull glaring at me. I whispered to Rio, "Walk…Walk…" We were outta the clearing, "Okay, run." And we started making our way to the base of the Fogbound Lake.

Rio ran up to my side, "That was brilliant, Meowth! Quick thinking on your part."

I grinned and said, "My line o' work needed a lotta fast thinking and more fast-talking. I hadn't counted on Wigglytuff showing up, but we got really lucky. He'll keep 'em stalled long enough. Let's forget about 'em for now, and focus on Fogbound Lake."

**-3****rd**** Person POV-**

Meanwhile, back at the clearing Team Skull cursed their luck and Meowth for leaving them to listen to the Guildmaster.

Wigglytuff was oblivious to their negative emotions, talking about the exploration of the forest. "Oh, I hope we get some good news soon!"

Trying to seize the opportunity, Skuntank said, "Um. Guildmaster…"

"Hm? What's the matter, friend?"

"We were thinking that we should go explore as well…"

Wigglytuff looked shocked and shook his head, "Oh?! That's all right! I can't trouble my friends like that! We'll just let those two do the exploring. Let's chat while we wait for their report."

Then Wigglytuff started talking about himself as Team Skull threw in another curse for their luck. They retracted it, however, when Wigglytuff's attention wavered and he turned around to absent-mindedly sing and dance. This gave them an opportunity to plot amongst themselves.

Zubat flew forward and whispered, "Chief, this is getting really weird…"

Koffing floated down and muttered, "Team Righteous is going to beat us to the prize if we don't do something. What'll we do?"

Skuntank replied, "We have to do something. We have no choice. We'll take down Wigglytuff right now. Then we'll chase down Team Righteous!"

After checking to see Wigglytuff still unaware, Zubat whispered, "But do you think it'll be all right?"

Koffing shuddered, "Wigglytuff is, like, creepy."

Skuntank nodded, "Don't worry about it. He's no big deal. Besides… rumor has it Wigglytuff has an unbelievably precious treasure."

Zubat perked up, again checking Wigglytuff for signs of hearing them, "Oh, really?! Treasure?"

"That's right. I was planning on mugging him for it anyway, so this is a good opportunity. Hey, Koffing. Prepare for the noxious gas special combo."

They assumed the stance, Zubat fluttering back. Wigglytuff was still blissfully unaware as he continued his little dance, not missing a note of his song. "La la la! La la! La la la! La la~"

Still keeping his voice down, Skuntank said, "Wigglytuff is really going to get it! No hard feelings… But the great, famous explorer Wigglytuff… is finished! Chaw-haw haw!"

**-Meowth's POV-**

We reached the base of the rock pillar under Fogbound Lake. There was a large crack in the middle that we could squeeze through. A Kangaskhan Rock was by the entrance, meaning that it was a mystery dungeon standing between us and Fogbound Lake.

I was grossed out by the wet heat of the place. _Just what I needed… A good steam cleanin'… Too bad I didn't bring my carpet._

We put in the supplies that we found, making sure to keep the Reviver Seeds, restock on food and Oran Berries, and pack a buncha orbs and seeds in case things got hairy. After I wrote where we were in the Adventure Log, I noticed that the expedition by itself had pushed the length to over twenty pages.

We stood in front of the entrance, "Whelp, Rio. We're heading into uncharted waters now. Dis is about as far outta my comfort zone as I've evah gone. But ya know what? I can't wait ta see what's at da top."

Rio nodded and looked at me, "You ready to do or die?"

"I'd prefer do; c'mon let's go!"

**-3****rd**** Person POV-**

Meanwhile, back at the Groudon Statue, Team Skull was still unable to leave since Wigglytuff had turned around before they could perform their dastardly deed. Unable to do anything, there was a silent stare-down.

Zubat looked between his Chief and Wigglytuff and said, "Psst… Hey, Chief! What's going on? Something wrong?"

Koffing added, "Chief… Hey, Chief… You've been staring him down for how long now…? C'mon… let's you and I givehim a double dose of the ol' noxious gas…"

Skuntank quickly hushed them, "Shut your yap!"

Wigglytuff tilted his head, "Dear friends! What's wrong? You've been making such scary faces at me!"

Skuntank was shocked that Wigglytuff wasn't intimidated, "Bah… this guy's tough… really tough…"

Wigglytuff quickly drew his own conclusion and smiled, "I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!" Then Wigglytuff started pulling his face into weird shapes, blabbering for effect.

Koffing shuddered, "C'mon, Chief…! I can't take this… this whole weird scene is freaking me out…"

Skuntank responded, "Okay, then… This isn't working, and we're out of options…" Then he spoke up, "Hey, Wigglytuff!"

Still pulling odd faces, Wigglytuff spoke erratically, "Whatiswhatiswhatis… What is it?"

Skuntank smirked, "Hey, no hard feelings but… You're going down! Take this! A noxious-gas special! Straight from me and Koffing!"

Then Skuntank and Koffing sprayed their stenches at the same time, making sure to get Wigglytuff in the center of the cloud.

**-Meowth's POV-**

_Oh, what I'd give for an ice-cold glass o' water…_

Steam Cave was even hotter on the inside than the outside! There were pools of hot, bubbling water everywhere! It made me pant like a Growlithe! The only thing keepin' me from complainin' every two minutes was that Rio didn't seem ta have a problem dealing with it.

We tried ta save our energy by finding the stairs to move on as fast as we could. Some we found quick, others not so much. The Slugma didn't help with the heat either; dang Fire-types.

We found a TM along the way, so I learned Flash. It would help if we had ta surprise our enemies, or make a get-away (It looks cool! The flash of light comes from my charm!).

After awhile, we found our way ta a rest area. It was a little cooler than the rest of the place so I was glad about that. I sat down and, with a whistle, said, "We've come a long way, eh, Rio?"

Rio nodded and popped his shoulders, "Can't be too much farther to the top."

Then my ears perked up, picking up a far-off noise. I narrowed my eyes and turned my ear. "You hear that, Rio?"

"Hear what?"

*groooooohhhh!*

"Okay, I heard it that time."

Then it went quiet. "O-kaaay… what do you think _that_ was?"

Rio shrugged his shoulders, "The wind, perhaps? A roar?"

I shuddered, "Yea, was probably the wind… _But,_ on the off-chance that it wasn't, how 'bout we go to the Kangaskhan Rock?"

After we wrote in where we were so far, we walked up to the entrance of the next parta the cave. We heard another wind/roar coming from ahead, but I just stood up straight and said, "Whatever's back there, we gotta tough it out, Rio. The only way through is forward!" Then I walked forward and went for about a dozen steps before I noticed that Rio wasn't following me.

I walked back and said, "Hey, Rio, if we don't go in together we may turn up in separate parts o' the dungeon. Ya've been spacin' out since we got here, so spill the beans. What's eatin' ya?"

Rio looked at me and said, "Well, it's the strangest thing, Meowth. Ever since we arrived at base camp in Foggy Forest, I've had the oddest feeling of déjà vu. Like I've been here before, but I can't remember ever being here. I think I may have actually been here before. Whether or not I was a Pokémon already I don't know, but if I met Uxie, then I think that he may have taken my memories."

I was shocked. _Wow, he's had this on his plate the entire time?_

I recovered, saying, "Well, if dat's what it is, then I can't blame ya for spacing out like ya did. This might be a key moment for you, Rio! That only gives us another reason ta make it to da top! If Uxie really is here, then we'll grill 'im for the truth! Let's go!"

We both dashed deeper into the wet-hot cave.

The second part o' Steam Cave was just about as long as the first one. Along the way, Rio learned Screech too, so I laid out a plan for a double-Screech attack. Some of the enemies were tougher, but nothin' we couldn't handle.

Soon, we reached the peak. The last area was a large, flat, sorta-round room.

I looked around, "Well, we reached the top… Wait… Why does the air feel so, I dunno, _charged_…? I don't like it… My bad feelin' meter's goin' off da chart!"

Then there was a giant roar from just ahead.

"GRROOOOOOH…!"

We both leaped and I said, "Yikes! That ain't no wind!"

"GRROOOOOOH…!"

Then there were footsteps comin' closer that were shaking the ground.

Rio looked forward, "Whatever it is… It's coming closer!"

**-3****rd**** Person POV-**

There was a loud clamor as the entirety of Wigglytuff's Guild, except for Wigglytuff himself, ran into the clearing of the Groudon Statue.

Chatot looked at Corphish, "This is it? The Groudon Statue?"

Sunflora, looked around and noticed that no one else was around. After bringing it to everyone's attention, Chatot continued, "Are you really sure that you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?"

Corphish nodded, "Sure, I'm sure! I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp. The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly, in hot pursuit of a Perfect Apple! I gave him a shout and a wave, but he seemed too occupied to holler back. But I'd guess that Rio's team went ahead! So I'd bet that the Guildmaster went up after them, don't you think?"

Then there was a light tremor that took everybody off-guard.

Diglett was the first to comment, "Hmm? The ground…"

"Uh-what…? It's shaking!" Bidoof finished.

Then, there was a distant roar that they could only hear when they strained their ears. Everybody was disoriented, but curious. Corphish roused everyone, saying, "Something is going on up there! Let's head up! Hurry!"

Everybody dashed to leave for Fogbound Lake. Diglett hesitated only for a moment, swearing that he heard someone moaning in pain. But his father, Dugtrio, called him over. So Diglett just filed it as his imagination.

Ignored by the one Pokémon who heard them, Team Skull continued to lie in agony behind one of the waterfalls. None of them could move a muscle. And Skuntank was thinking out loud in disbelief.

"Hork-ork-how did that happen? How did Wigglytuff shrug off our noxious-gas special like it was nothing?"

Zubat joined in, "And h-h-how did Wigglytuff strike back at us… It's un-believable…"

After that, they simply moaned in pain some more.


	22. Chapter 15: Of Legends and Memories

**Ordinarily, I would go into another Interlude chapter, but I feel that that would be kinda a dick-move considering where we are right now. So, another chapter first.**

* * *

Chapter 15: Of Legends and Memories

**-Meowth's POV-**

Whatever it was, its steps were makin' me and Rio make small jumps. Wit' one last roar, a Groudon stomped into the room.

My jaw dropped. _Just our luck…_

Rio was shocked. "It's the same Pokémon! A Groudon?! It really exists?!"

The Groudon roared again. It took everythin' I had ta not "meep!"

The Groudon growled, then said, "YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

Rio stepped forward, "But we just want to go to Fogbound Lake!"

The Groudon reared up and yelled, "WHAT?! FOGBOUND LAKE?! I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!" Then it roared again. I was scared, but…

_Sumpin' seems off… I've seen a Groudon with my own peepers, and it never pulled the "guardian" shtick. It was more of the "do not disturb, or I kill you!" type… Somethin' smells fishy here…_

**-3****rd**** Person POV-**

Meanwhile, Wigglytuff's Guild had reached the entrance of Steam Cave. After Corphish led them to the entrance, everyone hurried through. Corphish ran up alongside Chatot and asked, "H… hey… Chatot! Can I ask you something while we're running? Chatot, do you know about a Pokémon called Groudon?"

Chatot glared back, "Well, of course! Just what do you take me for? I'm only the head of intelligence for our guild! Squawk!" After calming down, he answered, "Groudon is a legendary Pokémon spoken of in myths passed down through generations. The myths say that he raised land from the sea. And that he built up the continents!"

Corphish replied, "Hoo-boy! That sounds like a colossal Pokémon! What if you were to face Groudon in battle? What would happen?"

Chatot nearly tripped and fell as a result of the question but used his wings to regain his balance before running again and answering. "Battle?! Out of the question! Squawk! If anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in a battle… Well it would be like throwing your life away! He is that strong! Like all legendary Pokémon!"

**-Meowth's POV-**

Groudon was moving closer. Rio said, "This is a real problem, isn't it Meowth?"

I narrowed my eyes, takin' a good look at the Groudon. The way it moved, thinkin' about the way it talked, and the general aura it put off when it was up close.

I leaned over and whispered, "I dunno, Rio. To be honest, I've met a Groudon*, and this one seems kinda small-time."

Rio looked at me, "Are you crazy! It's enormous! The air is charged with tension and- Wait! You've 'met' one before?!"

"Long story. Point is that either this one is slow ta wake up, it's a baby Groudon, or someone's yankin' our chain here. We won't find out unless we beat this whatever-it-is, 'cuz I'm sure it's not a true-blue Groudon! Let's rush it wit' everythin' we got!"

When Groudon was standing right in front of us, it shouted, "PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GRROOOOOOH!"

Groudon used Ancient Power and threw floating rocks at us. Rio stood in front and blocked them wit' his bare hands, not budging an inch. I jumped up and put my paws near the sides of my charm. (**AN: TAIYO-KEN!**)

"Flash!"

I blinded Groudon and he was stumbling back. I told Rio, "Get ready for the double-Screech!" We each ran to one side of Groudon and climbed up to where his ears should be and both used Screech, the sound waves hitting both sides of his head. He roared and put his hands on the side of his head.

"Now let's give 'em hell, Rio!"

I climbed up his arm, while it was near his face and jumped ta use Fury Swipes on him. I only got a small part of his face, but I did some damage. Rio jumped straight to the top o' Groudon's head and used Force Palm on it. But before we could do anything else, Groudon swept us both off with one hand. Then, before we could get up, he used Mud Shot, hitting us with the force of bricks.

We tried to get up, but the mud everywhere made it hard ta go anywhere without slipping and falling, so we were hit by Groudon, swat all the way to the wall. We peeled ourselves off da wall and I threw Rio an Oran Berry, also taking one for myself.

Rio ate his and growled, "Those were our best attacks and he hardly has a scratch on him! Should I try using Reversal?"

I shook my head, "Nah. We just gotta keep hammerin' him!"

We kept on going. Rio wound up using Reversal after all, which is prob'ly what did the most damage. Groudon was still shaky from our Screech attacks and my Flash. But it was still a tough battle. Probably our best attack was when Rio used Counter to bounce back an Ancient Power attack for double the damage. Through the battle, Rio and I each had ta use a Reviver Seed.

Weird thing is that halfway through the fight, Rio kept glancing to the right side of the room while he was fighting. He would always perk up and look there, then focus back on the fight.

After a while we finally beat Groudon. After roaring one last time, he fell to the ground.

Rio jumped up, "We did it! We beat Groudon!"

"I hate ta burst your bubble, Rio. But I think the _real_ guardian will be comin' on down pretty soon."

The Groudon in front of us disappeared in a flash of light.

A voice appeared from nowhere, "Indeed. That was not Groudon. That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured."

We both looked around and I said, "Who said that?! Who's there?"

Light started flashing, "Like I said earlier, I am the guardian here. And I cannot allow you to pass."

I had ta think fast, "Wait! We're not looking ta make trouble! We only need information, I swear!"

"Information, you say?"

Rio joined in, "Yes! That's all. No lie! I mean, yes, we're an exploration team. And we'd like to earn a treasure for all our hard work. But if you have an issue with that, we'll leave without one! We'll just have to be happy making it this far! Please believe us!"

"Hmm… Well… Okay, I believe you."

A ball of light appeared and it flashed to reveal a gray-blue Pokémon with yellow around its head. "Let me welcome you, then. I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake."

Rio looked shocked, "No way! Did you say Uxie?!"

"Yes, truly. I stand guard over something special that lies in Fogbound Lake. Now, let me escort you to Fogbound Lake. Please come this way." Then he led us through the exit that the fake Groudon was guarding.

* The "Groudon" that Meowth met was in Jirachi: Wish Maker.

Uxie led us to the shore of a lake. Looking up, I saw that it was nighttime already. He floated to the edge of the rocks, faced us, and said, "It may be a little difficult to see at night, but…" He turned around, looking at the lake, "Behold! Fogbound Lake!"

We stepped up to just behind him, and I said "Wow!" while Rio just stood gawking at the sight.

The lake was lit up in the middle by a blue-ish, green glow, also all around by Illumise and Volbeat. Uxie said that the lake might be difficult ta see, but it didn't let us down. The area was so peaceful. I had never felt so calm before.

Rio was just as stunned, "It's beautiful! All of the lights illuminating the surface; how can such a huge lake be at the top of a plateau?"

"Water constantly wells up from far below this place. It flows up so heavily that it has long formed this enormous lake." He looked back at us for a bit, "Now cast your eyes to the glowing area at the lake's center."

We both leaned forward and I squinted my eyes, "Ya mean that blue-green one?"

Uxie nodded, "Step forward for a closer look."

We did, and I saw something that I never thought I'd see. Rio seemed to be confused and excited at the same time. Ignoring that, I said, "Uxie… is that…?"

"That is… a Time Gear." I nodded and Rio just kept staring at it, whispering, "A Time Gear?!"

"Yes… I guard the Time Gear. It's the sole reason I'm here." He turned around and we stepped back to give him room. "Others before you have tried to trespass here. But I used my Groudon illusion to chase most of them off."

I raised an eyebrow, "Ya mean that one that we fought back there? You can do that?"

"That is something I create using my psychic abilities. Like so…" He looked at the spot behind us and, in a few seconds, another Groudon was standing there. We both dashed away, taken by surprise.

"There is no need to be startled. As I've said, it's just an illusion. What you fought was no more than that."

I moved closer and poked the Groudon's foot. Felt solid and real. "Wowsers. I thought sumpin' was off about the Groudon we were fighting. It seemed too weak ta be the real deal."

"There have been others before who defeated my Groudon illusion. They managed to make their way to this spot. But they were trespassers! So I took away their memories… And, thus, protected the lake."

A light bulb went off in my head. "Oh, yeah! We got sumpin' to ask ya, Uxie. First, meet my partner and friend, Rio. A Pokémon now, but a human before!"

Uxie tilted his head, "Oh, really? A human?"

"Yeah, but Rio lost all his human memories. Which brings up our question; did you meet Rio here and wipe his memory? A human coming here would be easy ta remember."

After a short time, Uxie said, "The answer is… no. No human has ever come here."

Both Rio and I tilted our heads down.

"I should explain further… I erase only memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase all memories from living beings. I had nothing to do with your friend's memory loss. Nor anything to do with your friend's transformation into a Pokémon. The cause lies elsewhere."

I let out a sigh, "Well, okay." I turned to Rio, "Whelp, it looks like ya didn't lose your memories here, Rio. I guess we'll just hafta keep-" Then I heard a noise like… skipping. "Er, what is that?"

A happy voice came from behind us, "A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Well, too bad!"

We turned around, and, sure enough, the lovable lug himself was coming in through the entrance to the lake.

"We can't take a Time Gear."

Rio and I both jumped up, "Wigglytuff! W-when did-"

Ignoring us, he ran up to the shore next to Uxie, "Wow! Fantastic!"

Uxie asked, "And who might this be?"

Rio stepped forward and said, "Our Guildmaster."

Wigglytuff turned to Uxie and said, "Glad to meet you friend! Friend! Friend! Friend!" Then he walked over to the Groudon illusion and said, "Glad to greet you, friend! Friend! Amazing! Friend!" Then he walked up to the edge of the shore again and said, "Gaze upon this amazing view! I'm delighted we came! La-dee-la! Dee-la-dee!"

Following his advice, we stared at the view. After a bit we heard noise behind us and Wigglytuff skipped off to see what it was. He came back wit' the rest of the guild members. Right as the middle of the lake started to spout like a giant, glowing fountain. Ta say "pretty" would be the understatement of da year. Let's just say, I learned the meaning of "it took his breath away".

Everyone gave their own comments to the appearance of the geyser: the water catching the light, how high it shot up, the way it fell back down, all of the above. It finished wit' Wigglytuff saying, "The treasure! The treasure… must be the view of Fogbound Lake!"

We stared at it for a few more minutes. Never one ta gush about things, I just watched in quiet joy. Looking at Rio, I said, "Sorry we didn't learn anythin' 'bout your past, Rio. But I'm glad ta be here! We got ta see such a sight wit' everyone; I'm just glad that we didn't miss this!"

Rio nodded, "So am I, Meowth. We never learned who I am, but this trip has been worth it!"

I could see that there was sumpin' he wasn't telling me, he was getting "that" look in his eye again; like the lights are on, but his head's somewhere else. Not wanting ta push him, I let it go for now and stared at the lake some more.

After a while, Wigglytuff gathered everyone up and we stood in front of Uxie. Wigglytuff said, "So sorry! To have disturbed you! Had a fantastic time! Friend! Friend! Friend!"

Uxie nodded, "I shall not take away your memories of this place. You have earned my trust. But I must ask that you keep this place a secret."

Wigglytuff nodded and smiled, "Surely! Thank you! We all know what we need to do! You know, another Time Gear has been stolen. This one must stay safe! We won't ever say a word about this place! I swear it in the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

Uxie just said, "Please hold true to that promise."

Wigglytuff just nodded again, "Okay! Let's be on our way!" He turned to us, "Chatot, if you will!"

Chatot said, "I'll hop to it, Guildmaster!" He turned to us and said, "Everyone, we're going back to the guild!"

All of us cheered, "HOORAY!"

We spent all of the next day travelling as a group back to the guild.


	23. Interlude: Pt 3

Trying to be Heard

"That will be eight dollars… Thank you for your patronage, sir."

The couple walked down the right path of the crossroads where I had stationed myself. I had set all of the crafts in my backpack out on a linen cloth and sat leaning against the sign that pointed to the towns in both directions. I crossed my arms and looked up at the clouds, trying to pass the time until the next customer happened along.

Jessie and I had been travelling for three days now and still trying to find a town that is suitable for a "lovely, high-class woman", as Jessie claims.

We usually travelled without much event, but I would try to sell things out of my backpack whenever we crossed paths with someone. If we ran into a popular crossroads such as this one, then Jessie set up camp a fair distance away, and I set up a temporary stand here to sell what I could. We were planning to stay here in this spot for a few more days, and then move on.

In truth, I didn't really care what happened during the day; as long as I sold something and we were closer to a destination. What I really waited for was night.

Each night when I went to sleep, I would have a vision of what Meowth was up to. Only brief glimpses, mind you. On the first night, after Jessie and I had first set out, I saw Meowth sitting and making tiny wads of fabric which I could not guess the purpose of. The following night, I saw Meowth and his team, which had a new member (a Machop), fighting against what I could only guess was a rival team. Yesterday, I only saw Meowth and "Rio" traveling with a Bidoof along a rocky cliff.

The previous vision had me wondering what was going on to warrant such a journey. I glimpsed over Meowth's shoulder when he was reading the map and noted that they were traveling quite a distance.

I was dying to know what was going on with Meowth right now. The only thing that's keeping me from finding out is that Jessie would kill me if she found me napping.

With no one in apparent sight, I pulled some extra wood and my crafts kit to begin replacing the bird and carved image that the couple had bought. The "Sunrise Mightyena" was very popular with the males.

I finished the bird first, making a few small hinges in the wood for the head and wings to be adjustable. I placed it on the blanket and began work on the carving. I was so engrossed that I didn't notice the three coming down the path until they were directly in front of me.

I put down the carving, "Good afternoon, how may I hel- AHHHHHH!" It was those three kids yet again!

_Oh, how I wish I had a disguise of some sort! Even a false mustache; anything!_

"You?! What are you doing here?!" The short twerp was yelling at me while Pikachu stayed on his shoulder.

I quickly composed myself, deciding that if I did nothing, then they might just go away. Ignoring them, I just picked up my half-finished image and continued carving the design into the wood. I just concentrated on the picture, trying to ignore the feeling of their glares.

"If you _must_ know, I am simply trying to make an honest dollar. No tricks, no traps, just me carving and whittling my way towards the future."

The girl scoffed and said, "Yeah, right! I'm guessing that you're raising money for charity too?"

My grip tightened on the tool I was using at her blatant sarcasm, but I just kept carving and said, "I don't have any money to spare for charity. If I did that, I'd starve. I must ask you to either buy something or move along to whichever gym or contest you're heading to. You're disrupting my concentration."

The short one spoke up again, "How do we know this isn't part of some evil plan?"

My hand nearly slipped, but I managed to pull away before drawing a line across the Mightyena's neck. I put down the wood and glared at the three twerps.

"Look; I've resigned from Team Rocket, okay? Any future meetings between us will be strict coincidence. Now, again, I ask you to buy something or leave or, so help me, I have an extendable broom in my backpack for dealing with disruptors!"

"I'll buy something."

"Huh?" The two other twerps and I looked at the tall one.

"How much for the Onix statue? My younger brother, Forrest, will like it."

I looked down at the statue in question. Probably my best work so far. Carved out of a small log, The Onix made a spiral ascension out of the pedestal with its face set in a fierce roar. Considering its relative difficulty to make…

"It's one of my best crafts; nine dollars, if you please."

He paid with a ten and I supplied one dollar along with the statue.

"Thank you for your patronage."

They left after that, and the rest of the day passed without much event. I finished the carving and had three more customers before the day was done and I returned to the campsite, where Jessie was waiting.

After reporting how much profit I had turned for the day, I began cooking a small potato stew on the fire. When buying food with the money we got from selling the hot air balloon, we focused on items that would keep for a long time; namely potatoes, dried beef, dried fruit, and fresh water for cooking and drinking. We also bought basic cooking utensils and other essentials.

After dinner, I started getting ready for bed. Jessie raised an eyebrow, "Why do you always go to bed so early? It's not like we have to hunt for the twerps anymore."

_I don't want to miss anything important happening to Meowth. If I get a longer period of sleep, then I may see more._

This was not what I said, because I felt that Jessie didn't deserve to know what was going on with Meowth. I never told her about any of the visions after the first one. Granted, she was close to Meowth as well (though she would never admit it), but… If she didn't approve of him seeking something better, then she didn't deserve to know how he was doing as a result.

So I replied, "Some of us have to sit in a spot for hours on end, keeping an eye out for customers. You don't want me nodding off on duty, do you?"

"Hmph, guess not. Fine."

"Besides, I have to find a new log to start crafting another statue."

"Ew, you mean someone actually _bought_ that hideous Onix statue?"

"It's for the male demographic! I thought I explained that already; now, good night." I settled into my sleeping bag and tried as swiftly as possible to get to sleep.

**-3****rd**** person POV-**

Meanwhile at the camp of Ash Ketchum and company, Dawn was already sound asleep, but Ash stayed awake and brought up the subject which had been bothering him all day.

"Why did you buy that statue from James?" Ash asked, "He was probably raising money for a new machine that they're going to use against us later."

Brock sat across from the fire, "I don't think that's the case this time, Ash. We haven't seen Team Rocket for over a month. There's been no news of Pokémon thefts nearby, and he didn't make a single mention of Pikachu. I think that he meant it when he said that he resigned."

Brock tilted his head as he thought about it further, "I don't know about Jessie, and Meowth wasn't with them the last time we met, but I think that I can vouch for the guy. Besides, I did get a souvenir out of it."

"It's probably a bomb…"

"Oh, let it go, Ash. You're just jealous that you were too suspicious to buy one."

**-James' POV-**

_What on Earth has Meowth been up to?!_

I materialized into this expansive room to find Meowth and his partner trading blows with a Groudon, of all things! I couldn't believe the absurdity of the situation! I tried to do what I could, getting up in the Groudon's face to try and distract it, but it didn't take any notice of me.

_Damn it… Why must I be a strict "observer"?! But… Even if I could, I suppose that I would just get in the way…_

I nearly had a heart attack when Meowth was knocked out cold, but his partner, Rio, defended him while a glowing seed healed his wounds. As the fight wore on, I noticed that Rio was sneaking glances my way. Almost as if…

_Wait! Can he see me?! No, now he's looking to my right… He must be able to sense me! I might even be able to get a message through!_

Soon after, the Groudon fell. Before I could voice any form of celebration, the Groudon flashed in a burst of light and I was awake.

_No! I can't start the day now; I need to get a message to that Riolu! It's not sunrise yet, maybe I can force another short vision if I go back to sleep right now! Very well, then it'll be worth it for the headache later._

"JESSIE! Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, JESSIE!"

"SHUT UP!" And the hammer appeared out of nowhere, knocking me out cold.

I opened my eyes, and it was already night time in the other world. I appeared to be underground and I was in a small room where Meowth and Rio were sleeping. I went over to Rio and sat down next to his "bed".

_Rio… Rio… Can you hear me? If you can hear me, give me a sign._

Rio's eyes twitched and he moved a bit in his sleep. Deciding that it was enough of a signal, I continued.

_Listen, I don't know how much time I'll have. I'm a friend of Meowth's. We used to be teammates. Please, protect Meowth. I know that he's a strong fellow, but he can't do everything. Just watch his back and be there for him, since I can no longer do so. Promise me!_

Rio tossed and turned a bit, "I… promise."

I let out a sigh of relief. _Thank you. I need to return now. I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to speak to you again. _I felt myself being pulled away as I regained consciousness. _Goodbye, and thank you._

I woke up back in the real world and nursed the lump on my head as I walked back to the sign to set up shop.

* * *

**To dodge the "why" comments, I'm going to explain now. Riolu are not psychic, but they can sense emotions. Only strong ones, but they can sense them. I feel that that's explanation enough. See you next time!**


End file.
